Power Rangers Turbo: The Return Of Goldar
by sailoratomic
Summary: The Power Rangers recieve new powers but an old enemy returns.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**Three months later**_**:**_

_Ahhhhh....man. It feels so good to be normal again._ I thought as I danced to a song playing on the radio in the kitchen after coming home from a long hard day of work. I had gotten a job at a retail store. Kim had squealed and had begged me that when she came to visit, to give her a discount. I had smiled into the phone and had said that I couldn't I would get fired for sure. My job was hectic at times and demanding but it felt nice do something grownup. Dad was proud of me when he had heard that I had gotten a job, and so was my mom and Jared. I had opened up a bank account and was putting money in it, to do what I wasn't sure, but I liked having it there. Mom had always taught me to save money and to only use it for things that I need, but sometimes for things that I want.

At my job everyone wanted to know why I was walking so funny and what had happened to my ankle to which I would reply with the old "oh, I went skiing with my friends and twisted my ankle, and it's been like that ever since" one of my fellow employers actually gave me a card with the name of a therapist that "could really get that ankle of yours back into shape" even though I was touched by his offer I pretty much doubted that any assistance from a human could help me. Speaking of which, Billy has not given up his quest to finding a cure for the poison that's in my ankle,_ I would tell him to cut it out, and that no matter how hard he searched there will never be a cure for this._ But I couldn't tell him that, Billy would insist that there's a cure out there somewhere.

"I just haven't found it yet." I would shake my head after hearing this and decided to let it go and switch the subject. Talk about my ankle or the scars on my back(which have not gone away!!!) always make me feel uncomfortable, the others know this and they steer clear of both subjects, Billy would bring it up now and then whenever he would visit but he wouldn't ask me any questions about them. _He asked all the questions that he could think of on the night that Kimberly saw them for the first time. I'm pretty sure that Tommy and the others must have talked to him after he asked me about my scars, because he stopped asking questions from then on....well, he did ask one or two...but only when Tommy and the others weren't around._ I looked at my reflection. I had gone and added some red highlights to my hair and have healed my eyes so that I no longer wore glasses anymore, funnily I looked more grown up. Tentomon liked my highlights, Dad only looked at me for a minute and said that I looked nice, Dex, after giving me a long kiss, said that I looked fantastic and also that he was falling in love with me all over again. Kimberly loved my new look and asked me what had made me want to add highlights. I looked at her and shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know......I—I guess I wanted a bit of a change, a more radical change ya know? Plus....I........kind of....wanted to look....um....stronger." Kim had blinked.

"But you are strong, you _have_ gotten stronger."

"I know that Kim, it's just that....I want people to know that I _look _stronger. I don't want them to see that scared little 15 year old any more." Kim's eyes filled with understanding.

"You're thinking about Goldar huh?" I nodded.

"He already knows that you're more stronger than him and that you can beat him in a fight, you've done it countless of times in the past."

"I know that Kim. It's just that I want to show him that not only have I grown stronger in my fighting skills and in controlling my powers...I want to show him that I've also grown mentally and physically stronger than the last time. And I think that my new look really shows that. I know that it sounds dumb...."

"No it doesn't, you want to show Goldar that you're not that scared little girl that he used as a punching bag and whipping post. But most of all you want to show _you_ that you have changed in the past year. It's understandable since all of us want to show that we have changed on the outside as well as in the inside." I grinned at her pleased.

"I'm glad that you understand." She smirked.

"Hey, I may be an ex-Power Ranger but I'm still a teenager with insecurities and junk." She got my hand and gave it a squeeze, I smiled at her, glad that she was back to her old self. When she had seen Tommy and Kat together, she did her best to hid her feelings from the rest of us, and she nearly succeeded too. But Billy and I both noticed and let her cry on both of our shoulders after the party. It was a shock to see Kat and Tommy together, even though she was glad that Tommy was happy and had found someone else to fill in the void that Kim had left in him, still.........seeing your old boyfriend with another girl......it just filled Kim up with pain that she thought she had already dealt with when she made the decision to break up with Tommy. But when she saw them together and had realized that no one had called her up to tell her.....she just broke down and got a bit mad at me. She asked me why I never called her to say that Tommy had found someone else, at that time. I shuffled uncomfortably and said, while looking away from her, that I was sure that Kat or Tommy would do that.

"I mean being your ex-boyfriend and all, he should have told you."

"And that goes for you too. I _am_ your sister." Kim snapped at me. I let out a sigh.

"I didn't tell you because I thought that you might call up Kat, tell her what I told you, then she would yell at me for tattling on her and wh—I mean accuse me of reporting to you first thing about Tommy." I glanced at the doorway.

"She's still a bit touchy that I'm more closer to you and my earth parents than her." I was surprised to see that Kim was fighting back a smile.

"Tattling? I haven't heard that word since the 4th grade." she giggled.. I smiled as well. Soon the two of us were laughing. After a while we stopped and were grinning at each other.

"Sorry about that, it was just a shock, that's all." Kim said. I nodded not saying anything.

"And I'm sorry for not telling you about Kat and Tommy.....I just didn't want to hear Kat question me on why I had to call you up and tell you about it and be accused of not minding my own business and being asked "do you report every little thing that goes on in your life to your sister?"

"And _you_ do not want to go through that again."

"Nope." I said with a grateful smile.

As I made dinner, lasagna, I thought back to all that had happened. A powerful wizard named Lerigot was being hunted down by a space pirate by the name of Divatox, it just got worse Divatox managed to capture Lerigot's family and was holding them hostage on her ship. But that wasn't half of our problems, while training for an upcoming tournament Rocky had injured his back while preforming a move, and ended up in the hospital. Tommy had called the rest of us and we had all rushed to Blue Elf's side. Blue Elf had told us what had happened and I offered to heal him but he said no.

"Too many people were there, if you heal me right now Short stuff then everyone will get suspicious and ask questions." Tommy nodded in agreement although reluctantly. He turned to me and said that I should leave him like this. Frustration and shock filled me. _We were actually going to leave a team mate in this condition when I, a half eltarian, could heal him of his injuries in no time flat?_ _We could just say that he made a miraculous recovery._ _But...._ I began to think things through_(I hate it when I do that)_ and saw that Blue Elf and Tommy were right, people would ask Blue Elf questions and think that he had special powers to heal any injury or something. Bottom line: It could create real problems. Before I could say anything our communicators went off, it was dad, alerting us of trouble once again. When we landed in the Power Chamber, we were half expecting for dad and Tentomon to tell us what was up and send us on our way, but he had something to tell us. As usual with a new enemy comes new powers, Zords etc. Tentomon lead us to the center of the Power Chamber and dad gave us our new powers and weapons(the others obtained new weapons, I kept my sword) and new morphing equipment, wrist morphers and keys that we had to insert into the morphers and turn when we wanted to become the Turbo Power Rangers. The Turbo Zords were already in the Zord bay waiting to be used. _Dad sure is prepared for this new threat, I wonder if he knew that this was going to happen the whole time. _Tentomon told us where Lerigot was and we set off to rescue him, we had to go by ship to reach the island where Lerigot was. After we had arrived on the dock and boarded the ship, all of noticed a blue car heading straight for us, stopping a foot in front of the ship, the door to the car opened.....and out came a little boy! He revealed himself to be Justin Stewart. I've seen him around the Youth Center, he was Blue Elf's student, Blue Elf had told me about Justin, he was only 12 years old when he entered into Blue Elf's martial arts class. Our eyes widen with shock and our mouths nearly hit the floor when Justin revealed that he knew who we were, he had hid underneath Blue Elf's hospital bed and had heard everything.

"Rocky talked it over with Zordon and told him that he was giving me the Blue Turbo Powers." A look of excitement was on his face and I'm pretty sure that he could have gone off screaming his excitement to the heavens if Tommy hadn't stepped forward and told him of the important mission that we were going to embark on. We all climbed aboard the ship and had taken off for the island. Once we got there(with a bit of trouble along the way) we met face to face with Divatox and her crew, other than capturing the family of Lerigot, she had managed to capture Lerigot himself, plus my sister and Jason!! We all sprang forward to help our friends and realized to our horror that Kim and Jason were going to be used as sacrifices to awaken Divatox's fiancee, Maligore, from a deep volcano. Divatox brought out these human like fish dudes to keep us busy while Kim and Jason were lowered into the volcano. Now, when someone messes with my friends its one thing, but when someone messes with my sister it's a whole other deal. Not caring if Justin saw me use my powers or not, I shot forward and managed to save both of them, unfortunately a few of those fish dudes fell into the volcano. Watching old movies with my step-dad has taught me one thing, if a sacrifice is needed it doesn't really matter _who_ the sacrifice is, a sacrifice is a sacrifice. Short version: Maligore awoke, we called on the Zords, Kim and Jason took cover somewhere, and with the Turbo MegaZord we kicked Mailgore's butt and sent Divatox packing. We teleported home with our friends and all was well again.

_And we haven't seen hide nor hair of Divatox since then._ After setting the table, I began to make a small salad and my thoughts began to drift toward Justin. The boy was a bit too enthusiastic to battle evil aliens and had seemed a tad disappointed when everything returned to normal. _That enthusiasm could get him in trouble one day._ I thought with a worried frown on my face. The others had pegged it down to the boy's dream of becoming a super hero come true.

"Every little boy wishes he could be a super hero, even me." said Blue Elf. He had just recently gotten out the hospital and was going through therapy right now.

"The doctor says that I should take it easy from now on. And I'm glad that Justin did so well, considering that it was his first battle."

"Yeah, he did didn't he?" I said remembering my first battle with Lord Zedd. Kimberly and Jason were both doing okay after their ordeal. Jason said that he wished he could have helped out more in the battle and Kim said that she'll never look at another volcano the same way again. I was just glad that they were all right. Although a question slipped into my mind while I was talking to Kim on the phone._ Was it just a mere coincidence that this new enemy choose two former Rangers, one who happens to be my adopted sister?_ _Could someone might have told Divatox to target these two particular people?_ I shook my head. _Amy, you're getting paranoid. You had better stop it right now or they'll send you off to the loony bin._ The front door opened and I turned to greet Kat. I wasn't the only one to get a job, Kat was working to welcome the freshmen that were coming to Angel Grove High next year, Tommy was working over at the race track with his uncle, Adam was in a stunt show, the others had told me that it was a little weird going back to ordinary life for so long, but in due time they would get used to it. Justin, on the other hand, spent his free time exploring the Power Chamber and getting to know his Turbo Zord, I was careful to call dad, Zordon whenever Justin was around, it was a little weird but hopefully Justin will stop his frequent visits to the Power Chamber. Justin thought that Kimberly and Jason had just been two innocent civilians caught in the middle of the battle, he didn't ask about them and Tommy didn't explain, another lucky thing is that Justin didn't see me use my powers to free Jason and Kimberly and a good thing too. _It would have been really difficult to explain to a little boy how an alien and a human can produce a half alien half human child._ I smiled as I pictured Justin's face contort into confusion then disgust as the facts of life were explained to him. I had already told Dex about Justin and he promised that he wouldn't show up unannounced to the Power Chamber. Combat Chopper and Magno wanted to know all about the little Blue Ranger and I told them as much as I knew. They were a bit put off that they couldn't visit Tentomon in the Power Chamber any more and wanted to meet Justin face to face. I spoke against it, I didn't like the fact that so many people knew the Masked Rider's true identity and that he was my boyfriend. _What if Count Dregon went after Justin and spilled the beans about his secret identity and my relationship with him?_ Voicing all of this to Dex he agreed with me.

"The less people know, the better." he said firmly. Then he walked toward me and wrapped his arms around me and reminded me that if I was to ever find myself in a sticky situation, then I should call on him. I wanted to shake my head and tell him not to worry but I realized that he meant Goldar. He was still out there and even though I wished and prayed that he would never make another appearance, in reality, it was hopeless. Goldar_ would_ return someday and I would have to face him in battle. Once again I cursed myself for not being strong enough to strike him down when I had the chance. _Now I knew how Zedd felt like. Always asking himself_

"_Why didn't I kill her when I had the chance?" _I felt slightly sick, I didn't like having _any_ similarities to my old master. Shoving that thought from my mind, I focused on what Kat was telling me.

"I can't believe that graduation is almost here!" she said with a little bounce. My friends and my sister would be graduating in a week and all of them were really excited, they were looking forward to going to college and studying new things and choosing their own careers. For a moment, I was wistful, then I remembered that I wasn't going to college with my friends, even after I had graduated from high school I planned on leaving Earth and all of its dark memories and starting life anew on Edenio. The only people that knew my plan was my Earth parents and Dex, I still wasn't sure on how to break it down to the others or to dad. I could just picture their reactions, my friends and sister would be disappointed that I wanted to leave Earth, my dad on the other hand......would start yelling at me about why I didn't want to continue my education and why in all that is holy would I want to get married and move away to a distant planet? You need to have an education first before you do any of this stuff. Then the both of us would probably get in a yelling match with me proclaiming that it was my life and I could do as I please with dad protesting, it may be your life but I am still your father and you will do what I say. _Yeah_, _not a conversation that I am totally looking forward to._ _I am going to tell them about my plans....just not now._

"Let's see first I'll work part-time and make room for classes at the college of my choice. But what kind of career do I want? Um....a doctor...no no...a fashion designer..... " With half an ear I listened to Kat as she ran down the list of careers that she wanted. _Kat and the others are choosing to do new things with their lives now that graduation is upon them. I had better think about my own plans_.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I first laid eyes on Divatox, my first thought was _She looks like a loony._ Who would have thought that _she_ would show up on the scanner? Dad didn't have a clue as to why she was here in Angel Grove, but the others and I had a pretty good idea. _The loon has come for revenge because we ruined her wedding. _I glanced at Justin while dad and Tentomon were explaining to us about the kind of monsters that Divatox had, the boy had an excited look on his face and looked eager to kick butt. I glanced at Tommy and for a second our eyes met, he glanced at Justin then looked at me and gave a slight nod. We would have to talk to Justin about his eagerness to fight. _Well, at least it's not Goldar that we're dealing with here, the Tengu Warriors would probably rip Justin to shreds compared to those fish dudes that Divatox sicced on us the last time._ I began to focus on Dad's and Tentomon's lecture, the fish dudes were called Piranhatrons, they were the foot soldiers of Divatox's army, only(and we would find out for ourselves later) they were more stupider than the Cogs. _Hmmm and easily defeatable. _I thought as I remembered how I had easily taken care of a couple of them._ I didn't even have to use my powers._ Divatox's henchmen were Elgar, her nephew_(evil must run in some family circles)_, who for some odd reason, would later remind me of Rito Revolto, Rygog, her second in command and Porto, her technical advisor. The monsters that she would use, would be.....monsters for hire in short....She couldn't create her own monsters since she wasn't a witch like Rita nor make them out of clay or some other material like Finster or Lord Zedd. So basically what we were up against was a very bad tempered, crazy looking, badly dressed ordinary pirate. I smirked in spite of myself as we asked dad our questions. _This war might be a bit more easier than the last few wars we fought in. _And right now the monster was terrorizing some people at the park_ and_ calling the Power Rangers out. _Defeating this guy will be a cinch, I don't think that I'll have to break a sweat....or use my powers_. _I must remember not to use my powers when around Justin and to tell the others not to tell him what I am or who Zordon and I really are. Enough people know.....and I'd like to keep it that way._ For some reason I was afraid of Justin finding out what I really was, for fear that he might think that I'm an enemy. Most of the aliens that come to Earth are evil so can you blame me for being a tad nervous and fearful if Justin finds out that I'm not 100% human? _Nope, definitely not._ I thought as we all morphed, teleported to the park and faced off with the monster. This battle would be Justin's second, _I just hope that he isn't too eager to face off with the monster on his own_. I thought as my friends and I flew at the Piranhatrons. I managed to sweep one off of its feet and send another careening into a nearby tree. The next one came toward me at full run, grabbing an arm that had been outstretched, I spun it around as though we were dancing, then I yanked it forward, then with a snap of my wrist I held it at arms length and began to spin it. With another snap of my wrist I let it loose, where it continued to spin right into its fellows, then it fell to the ground with a dizzy expression on its face. _Nice, but his footwork needs a bit more work._ I thought to myself as I punched and kicked the Piranhatrons away from me and away from my friends. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Justin break through the ranks of Piranhatrons and head straight toward the monster!

"Justin! Wait!" I shouted. Justin raced at the monster, fist cocked back, thinking that he could easily defeat this monster, with one punch, because he was a super hero and super heroes always win! I kicked and punched away Piranhatrons that were sticking themselves in my face. _Okay, they're stupider _and_ their annoying!_

"Hey! Can't you guys take a hint? Get out of my way!" I shouted as I began to rush toward Justin's aid. I could only stare as I watched Justin _totally kick the monster's butt!_ With a high kick that knocked the monster sideways and a punch to the gut, the monster staggered backward. Justin laughed clearly enthralled by this new power as he began to attack the monster. Punching and kicking the monster away from him, he shot forward, leapt up and sent the monster flying. It landed on the ground 2 feet away from him, by that time the others and I had finished with the Piranhatrons and were at our team mate's side. We weren't at all surprised to see the monster on the ground, these new powers _were_ pretty awesome. _Still Justin shouldn't go charging off like that, what if there are more to these monsters than meets the eye. _The monster got up and attacked us, a couple of us went on the defensive while the rest went on the attack. Just as we were about to destroy the monster, our communicators beeped Tentomon was calling to us to look out! We all looked around then we saw them! 2 torpedoes racing toward the monster, we all leapt or ran a good couple of feet away to avoid being blasted by them. _What the hell is going on? Why attack and destroy her own monster? _I was sure that Divatox was more loonier then she let on, but we saw the result of the blast. The monster was now 24 feet high! _Now there's something you don't see everyday, a new way to make monsters grow._ I couldn't help but think that Rita would be absolutely green with jealousy at this new and dangerous way of making a monster grow. I could just imagine her loading up a torpedo into a bazooka and trying to decide whether to aim for the monster to make it grow, or to aim at us and destroy us in a glory of fire and smoke. _It could definitely happen._ I thought as we summoned the Turbozords, and leapt into them. The inside of my zord was similar to that of a car, and even though I had a bit of trouble driving it in the beginning, much less controlling it(_I get nervous whenever I have to go behind the wheel, do you know how many accidents happen out on the road every year?_) Tommy and Adam both taught me how to drive it and Dad taught us how to combine them in one big zord. Despite Dad's and the boys reassurance that the biggest thing that I could crash into was a mountain they said that I passed the driving test with flying colors. Still I was shocked when, looking for a seat belt to strap myself in, there was none! I pointed this out to Dad and the others but they only waved me away saying that "you only need seat belts when you're driving a regular car, this is not a regular car it is a zord, you can't get killed in a zord." _I beg to differ_. I thought as I remembered all of those times when Goldar and Rito were tossing my zord around, with me barley clinging onto my seat. Both of them wanted me shaken out of my zord, and fall right into their hands where they could crush me with just one squeeze. _Not a thought that you want to have with you when you're slipping and sliding and tumbling around in your zord. That's for dang sure!_ So I had installed seat belts in my Turbozord and in Justin's and the others, Kat didn't complain much, in fact I think that she was even grateful. Justin, on the other hand complained that he was Power Ranger and not a baby. I ignored him and put the seat belt in. I was thinking of giving them helmets so they won't bang their heads on anything and hurt themselves but Kat talked me out of it. Anyway, forming the Turbo Megazord and unleashing the saber and bringing up the shield to protect ourselves from the monster's attacks, we ducked, rolled, struck and parried with the monster. As far as monsters go this guy wasn't so tough, we had a bit of trouble, yes but we easily beat him. I'm pretty sure that the reason that I thought that this particular war would be easy to fight in and easy to finish was because....this was a clean war. No guilt hanging over my head, no chance of blackmail, the monsters not knowing who or what I was(_but that's nothing new_), the head villain not knowing that one of the Power Rangers has an amazing power and spends most of the war trying to obtain it(_I would have to be really dumb to show her)_ and the monsters not being that powerful so that they're easily defeatable. Now, I had no problem with this whatsoever. It gave me time to do some stuff that I never had any time for: like finish a shift at work, finish a meal, catching up on my reading and homework, and my chores around the house. Another plus is getting to spend more time with Dex, even though I couldn't help him out as much. Justin, wanted more of a challenge, he was drawn to all of this stuff by pure adrenaline, I got him alone and talked to him about the seriousness of each and every situation that we could face in this battle with Divatox, how the battles were dangerous and not to rush into things, to think before you act. Justin looked at me and said that he would be careful in battle and that he would not rush into things.

"But you have to admit that all of this stuff is really cool huh? I mean the power, the things that you can do, the zords, the fighting, the excitement....." he spun in a full circle with a grin on his face that unnerved me. "Its....just so awesome!"

"It may be awesome and cool Justin but still you shouldn't look at it like a game or anything. This is real life and you can get hurt if you're not careful, or worse captured. We have no idea how strong Divatox really is, she could be testing us for all we know. She might show what she's really made of in the end, that it may take all of our strength and seriousness of mind just to beat her back if it comes to a real fight. Understand?"

"But we can never get hurt! Our suits protect us!" he protested. I let out a sigh.

"And besides we can beat them, we've got the zords, Alpha and Zordon I mean, who can really beat us?" _I can think of one person._ I thought grimly, I glanced over my shoulder, then turned back to Justin. We were at a small café near the school, I had some ice tea in front of me, while Justin had a glass of Sprite. This was the first time that I had ever spent with the little ranger_(sorry. But you have to admit that does sound cute.)_ I sipped my tea and looked at him.

"Justin.....being a ranger its more than just having this incredible power, controlling zords, and battling monsters day in and day out. It's a job that has to be taken seriously and if you don't take a job seriously well....you could find yourself in a place where you might not be able to get out of." I looked at him wondering if he understood. He looked at me, eyes serious. Then he shook his head.

"That won't happen, you guys will be there to bail me out." I looked at him for a minute then shrugged my shoulders. _He still doesn't get it, I'll try again but another time. _I sat up a little and rotated my shoulders then let a breath out.

"So...you excited about next year?" Justin, was really smart for a 12 year old. He was going to be attending Angel Grove High, as soon as he passed a test, which happened to be on the day that Kat and the others graduated. Justin, seemed to perk up at this and told me.

"Yeah, I'm really excited and I can't wait. New classes, new people to meet, new challenges...." his eyes lit up and I remembered how I felt about my first day of high school. _Nervous and excited._ I smiled as I remembered how I used to be: young, innocent with the only worry was whether I would get my homework done on time and making sure that I wasn't late for class. _I'd give anything to be like that again. _I thought to myself as I stirred my tea around in the glass. Whenever I looked back at my life before the bargain, before meeting my friends and becoming a ranger, the girl that I used to be all those years ago seemed......like a stranger. I would hardly recognize the way I used to be and think _there is no way that I used to be this way, stupid and naive. _But I was and had been._ And because of that I'm in this situation right now with no way out!_ I thought to myself angrily.

"Amy? You alright?" Justin was looking down at my hand, which had a death grip on my glass. I quickly relaxed it and let it lie flat on the table.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay. Sorry about that, just thinking....about past enemies." I switched the subject and asked him about what kind of classes that he wanted to attend. After telling me, I gave him some pointers on the quickest route to get to the lockers and the best places to sit in the classes.

"I was always in the back and would hunker down in my seat whenever the teacher would try and get one of us in the class to go up to the board and solve a problem or answer a question, I wasn't always lucky to dodge the question or problem." I smiled as I remembered how I used to be super shy. My mother had always told me to speak up or you'll never get noticed, she tried to get me involved in school activities so that I could break out of my shell. She was excited and happy for me when I brought my friends home with me one day so we can discuss battle strategics but, with mom hovering in the doorway, the talk turned to homework and an upcoming test and Billy saying that it paid to be several chapters ahead of everyone. _Mom only knew my friends for a short time. I wish she were here to see how much my friends have helped me crack my shell. _I smiled as I remembered how mom would tease me and say that there was something between me and Rocky, I denied it outright but she wouldn't stop teasing.

Speaking of which, since Rocky was no longer the Blue Ranger, I thought that it would only be fair to call him by his name once again. But he said that it was all right.

"Even though I'm not fighting anymore and can't morph, I still consider myself a ranger." I was happy with that. Blue Elf was still recuperating but he said that he would be in the stands cheering along with everyone else.

"Are you excited about graduating yourself?" asked Justin. I paused for a moment. Then nodded.

"Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to it. I've already have some things planned for my future." I couldn't help but adding.

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"Like getting married, having a career, maybe......starting my own family." I smiled to myself and glanced down at my hands. Justin nodded.

"So you have it all figured out huh?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"Yeah, but it may not work out the way I planned ya know? Sometimes life throws a curve ball at us and our plans change and we may not be able to see the life that we dreamed up or planned for ourselves, but we try to reach them and make them come true." I looked at Justin.

"My dad says the same thing." he said as he took a sip of his Sprite. Our communicators beeped making us both jumped, paying for our drinks we rushed out of café, around a corner, answered the call, morphed and took off.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The day of the graduation ceremony had come and my friends couldn't be more excited....or nervous. I found this a little confusing. _They face off with monsters on a day to day basis, they risk their lives every time they go off into battle and they're nervous over a ceremony. __Huh....it must be the normalcy of the entire thing that's got them so freaked._ I thought as I limped beside Kat as we made our way to school, she was practically hopping with glee, she had been looking forward to the end of high school for a very long time and wanted to enjoy her freedom to the fullest as soon as the day was over. I smiled, I knew exactly how she felt, after I had finally killed Zedd, I just couldn't contain my excitement of finally having my freedom, so I had taken off on a 4 mile run, limping rapidly from one end to Angel Grove to the next until I had limped slowly home exhausted and had my first good night's sleep in weeks. _I wonder if Kat is going to do the same thing_. I thought as I turned to look at her, we began discussing about what kind of job she'll be holding down, the college that she was going to attend and the activities in which she planned to participate in.

"I'll only be at the high school for a little while, just so that the freshmen are taken care of and don't feel to overwhelmed or anything by attending a new school." A ripple of annoyance went through me. _I never felt overwhelmed._ She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

"Amy, I'll be out of the house most of the time and you'll probably only see me at meals or when we're fighting Divatox, are you going to be okay?" I stared at her.

"Oh yeah, definitely I'll be okay. It won't be the first time that I'll be on my own. I'm a big girl ya know, I can tie my own shoelaces and everything." I said to her with a grin. She put her arm around me and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm glad." We had reached the school, Kat stopped for a moment, took a deep breath then went inside. I chuckled as I remembered my first day of high school, then limping up the stairs, I followed her in.

All throughout the day with the talk of graduating buzzed in the halls, I began to think about my own graduation, still one year away. My sisters had told me that it had been scary at first but they had rose to the challenge of finding their place in the world. They had also told me that if I needed any help that I should call on them. _Mom said the same thing_. I thought with a touch of sadness. _But...she still helps me out whenever I need her. _I touched my locket, wishing that I could see my mother again. I snapped to attention as Mr. Wilson, my history teacher called my name and asked me to start collecting last night's homework. Standing up I began to limp around the class room and collect the homework.

Later as school was letting out, I had gone to the football field and had taken a peek. It had been decorated with balloons and streamers and about two dozen chairs covered the field where the graduates of this year would be sitting, Kat had told me that they had began practicing sitting down and standing up simultaneously but she was pretty sure that there were going to be some kids that were going to miss the cues. In front of the rows of chairs was a podium where the speaker for the seniors of this year was going to address the students, teachers and families about the feeling of making the transaction of adulthood, finding their own place in the world and accepting new responsibilities that would go along with starting their new lives. I've heard a speech similar to that when my step-sisters graduated from high school(they went to other schools). Kat was going to be the spokesperson for the graduating class, I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure that she would nervous but she told me that she wasn't.

"Well, maybe just a little." she had said with a bashful grin. Throughout the entire week she had focused mainly on her speech and would really get into it. I'm pretty sure it was part nervousness so, I tried to help her out by getting books from the library that had inspirational speeches and taking her meals to her, _one of my step-sisters did the same for me when I had to study for a really big test. _Kat had gotten the speech done, and had practiced in front of the mirror several times a day until the ceremony. _In just a few hours the ceremony will begin, and Kat will give her speech, I hope she's ready. Sheesh I could never do that, talk in front of a whole bunch of people, I'd get too nervous and probably mess up._

As luck would have it, Divatox decided to attack Angel Grove today of all days, so other than sending a monster down, that would _try _to kill us, she also sent a detonator to blow up a power plant in downtown Angel Grove. Now, all of this, in reality would make my friends late for the ceremony. _Seriously, is she even trying?_ I thought as I shot forward and lashed out with an uppercut and a kick to the ribs, fast as lighting I whipped out my sword and slashed at the monster, it yipped and leapt back, then shot forward and tried to kick me away, I leapt up and Tommy raced forward and began to bunch the monster. I twisted my body and propelled it backward and landed in front of the others who were fighting a bunch of Piranhatrons and Elgar, turning I raced at some Piranhatrons and began to punch and kick and slash at them. I sheathed my sword since they were easily beatable ....but....there seemed to be more than usual. _Something's up._ I turned to Tommy.

"Tommy! There are too many of them, something's up." Tommy kicked away the monster to the side and gave a right sided punch to a Piranhatron, it was flung to the ground.

"Yeah you're right." He brought his communicator to his mouth.

"Zordon, is there anything else that's going on that we don't know about?" It took a few moments for dad to answer but finally he did.

"Sensors have picked up a disturbance at the Angel Grove power plant."

"Right." said Tommy. "I'll send someone there to check it out." Tommy turned to his left and grabbed a Piranhatron by the arm and gave it a quick jab to the stomach then flipped it onto its back. His fist shot out just as the monster came racing toward him, I laughed out loud as the monster ran straight into Tommy's fist and fell. _These guys are pathetic._ Tommy turned to me and called out.

"Amy, go to the power plant and see what's up." I nodded and gave him a two finger salute.

"Yes captain." Then I limped a good distance away then was teleported to the power plant. I landed at the very heart of the plant, looking around, I could only see pipes and more pipes, I limped forward keeping my ears and my senses alert._ It's a good thing that Tommy sent me alone, then I could have the freedom of using my powers._ Ever since Justin came on the team I have had to hold myself back. At first it wasn't fun to put half of your strength in one punch that could easily have created a hole in an enemy's stomach but little by little I was getting used to it. But still, it kind of bugged me,_ in the old days a battle would end in 20 or 30 minutes tops. Now there over an hour long. _Logically, it would have been easier to just tell Justin that I had this power that could easily defeat enemies. _But he's a 12 year old kid_, _and 12 year olds are curious._ It would have been difficult to explain to Justin that I, in truth, was a half alien, _but what if he wanted to know everything about me? And what if he thought that it was the most coolest thing ever to have a half alien on his side_, _able to levitate things with her mind and to take him anywhere he wanted to go just by morphing into a puddle of liquid? What if he got into his head that since he was a fellow ranger and friend, he would ask me to take him anywhere in my morphed state? And if I refused and talked to him and he complained to the others....._ I shook my head hard. _Amy, you're being silly, Justin would never do that. He's a 12 year old kid with a high IQ, he'll be attending Angel Grove High next year. There is no way that he would make you use your powers like that._ But I couldn't help but think that it _could_ happen. _I've only known him for a few days, that's not enough time to get to _really_ know him. No, I'm not going to tell him, I'll keep my secret and I'll keep on holding back in battle but I'll unleash my full strength whenever Justin is not around._

"Hi Amy!" said a voice behind me. I jumped, spun, unsheathed my sword and pointed it at.....

"Justin!" The little punk had taken a step back when he saw my sword flash out.

"Justin, what the hell are you doing here?" For a second his shoulders sagged, as though in disappointment. Then he straighten them.

"I came to help you." I stared at him.

"Help me?" he nodded.

"Yeah, you were taking too long and the others were losing to the monster." I continue to stare at him, I could barley register what he was saying to me.

"SO YOU LEFT THE OTHERS?" He looked startled that I was yelling at him, he took a step back.

"Don't worry they'll be alright without me, besides I thought I could be of some use to you by......"

"Did Tommy send you?" I demanded.

"No, I....."

"YOU CAME HERE ON YOUR OWN ?"

"Well...I told Tommy that I would help you, coarse he didn't say anything so I just assumed that he didn't mind my leaving." I continued to stare at Justin. _He's just a kid Amy, he doesn't know any better. Still....._ I had to restrain myself from grabbing him and shaking him.

"Go back and help the others Justin NOW!"

"But...." I turned away from him and angrily said.

"Fine stay and help me out I don't care." I began to limp rapidly away without a backward glance and at the same time I contacted Dad and asked him about the disturbance. He told me there was a detonator in the power plant. I froze, then I snapped myself out of it.

"How much time do we have?"

"About 5 minutes." said Tento. _Great. I would have had more time if Justin hadn't appeared._ I took a breath.

"Okay, where is it?"

"In the heart of the plant."

"And where is that?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"It's near the generators, which are on the second floor of the plant."

"On it!" I had limped rapidly, heading toward the elevators. I didn't hear any footsteps or hear Justin call out to me so I thought that he had probably gone back to join the others in fighting the monster. _Good, maybe I can reach the thing before it goes off. _I was about to morph when I heard Justin call out to me. _Dammit!_

"Amy wait up!" I turned to him.

"Justin, there's a bomb that is going to go off in 5 minutes, blowing this place sky high, we need to get to it and pronto!"

"We'll make it." he said as we rode the elevator up to the second floor.

"I hope." I said under my breath as the elevator rose up. Even though it was a short trip it seemed to last minutes and I was beginning to think that the detonator was going to explode any second. Finally we arrived, not waiting for the doors to fully open, I slipped through and begin to limp rapidly to where I saw the generators. Then I saw something that unsettled me very much. Standing over the bodies of several Piranhatrons who, I was sure had been guarding the detonator, was a cloaked figure, his face was concealed by a hood that only showed his mouth, right now it was twisted into a sneer. Justin had caught up with me and he was panting.

"Ya know, you sure move fast for someone who has a limp." He looked up and stared.

"Who is this guy? Are all of those Piranhatrons....?" I didn't take my eyes off of who ever this guy was. Something told me that he was dangerous.

"Yes, they're dead." I said without looking toward the boy.

"Justin, I want you to find the detonator and get rid off it."

"But....."

"Do as I say!" I snapped at him. After hesitating for a bit Justin took off. I stepped forward, one hand on the hilt of my sword.

"Who are you? Why are you in Angel Grove?" The man didn't answer, but his mouth twisted into a smile. Then without another word he raced forward, unsheathed a sword that he had hidden underneath his cloak and attacked. I spun and dodged the first swipe, unsheathing my own sword I blocked the next blow that was aimed toward my shoulder. I shoved him back, we both raced at each other and our swords clashed once again, I had to use my full strength just to shove him off me, he was powerful. I spun and swiped my sword in a high arc, he ducked and kicked out with his foot, I leapt up and brought my sword down on him, he dodged to one side and thrust. I leapt back, barley missing the sword's point, then I charged forward and somersaulted over him, he thrust his sword upward nearly catching me in the stomach, I twisted my body then landed behind him. With incredible speed he turned and with a right hook sent me stumbling, I recovered in time to block a blow from his sword. A laugh erupted from his mouth.He shoved me back, I put my full weight on my injured ankle and let out a grunt as pain shot up my leg, I ignored it and I shot my fist out, I managed to land a good punch to his face, he stumbled but then regained his balance. He stood there for a moment, both of us were panting. Then after a minute or so he smiled again, then _actually bowed to me_ then vanished! A chill ran through me. _Who was that guy? And why did he leave in the middle of the fight? Could he be a new enemy? _I snapped to when I heard an explosion in the distance. _The detonator! Justin!_ Limping as fast I could I went toward the source of the explosion calling out to Justin at the same time. He was at the edge of the second floor unhurt thank goodness and he appeared to be looking upward. I went toward him.

"Everything went alright?" I asked him. He turned to me.

"Yea, nearly too late, but I took care of it. Told ya that we would make it."

"Hmm." was all I said then I turned.

"Come on, we have to get back to the others."

"Where did that guy go?"

"I don't know, he took off in the middle of the fight. Come on." We teleported back to where our friends were. Luckily though they had already destroyed the monster. Kat had realized that they were late for the ceremony and they all raced away to change. Justin and I teleported to the school and onto the football field and up the bleachers, we saw Blue Elf waving to us, as we made our way toward him I told Justin that we shouldn't tell the others about the guy. Not yet anyway.

"We don't want to spoil their big day." I said to him. He nodded in understanding. We sat down and Blue Elf turned toward us.

"You're just in time. Was there any trouble?" he asked with a worried look on his face.

"Nothing that we couldn't handle." said Justin before I even had a chance to speak. Rocky grinned.

"That's good." then he turned as the graduating class all rose and one by one received their diplomas, I spotted my sister's blond hair and Tommy's brown ponytail in the crowd. I clapped my hands and yelled as my friends walked up to the stage, Kat stayed where she was at the podium and after everyone had gotten their diploma and had once again taken their seats she began to speak, but my mind wandered. I just couldn't seem to forget the guy that I had just fought. _Who is he? Why is he here in Angel Grove? What does he want?_ I shoved this dark thoughts aside and listened to my sister's speech, then clapped and cheered with everyone else as the graduating class of Angel Grove High threw their caps into the air.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next day dad and Tentomon held a small party for my friends congratulating them on graduating high school. Dad hoped that all of them would have success in deciding their futures and making the right choices. Blue Elf was there, and he gave small tokens to everyone. As he and Justin began to chat about Angel Grove High and its hallways, I sat in a chair and while eating a fruit salad thought about the man that I encountered the other day. _It could have been a scout_, _checking out the planet and it's defenses...but why did it appear at the power plant? And why did it kill all of those Pirahantrons? Does it see Divatox as competition? And wanted to send a message to her? But why didn't he just vanish after killing the Pirahantrons? Why did he attack me? _So many questions and so little answers. I was about to shake my head but stopped myself. _Dad will want to know what's up._ I looked toward Justin, he was busy laughing at something that Tommy was telling him. After the battle and graduation ceremony, we had told Tommy what had gone on at the plant. Tommy had asked me questions about the man that I had battled I told him as much as I could which wasn't a lot, after the battle I had bent down to a lifeless Pirahantron and had felt it. _It's still warm. The slaughter couldn't have happen more than a few minutes ago, probably when Justin and I were arguing. _Dad hadn't known that there was anyone on the second floor because he didn't see anyone. _The guy must have used a cloaking device, the Pirahantrons probably had no idea what hit them until it was too late. _Tommy had been worried when he heard the news and he had instructed everyone to keep their eyes and their ears open and to report anything suspicious and to not engage whoever this guy was in one on one combat.

"Call on the team if you met up with this guy_, _from what Amy has told us, this guy is fast and powerful."

"Amy, took care of that guy no problem." spoke up Justin. As one all of us turned and stared at him. He blinked for a moment confused as to why everyone was looking at him.

"Justin, please tell me you followed my orders." I said when I got my voice back. He nodded.

"Yeah, I did what you told me, but the detonator had a few minutes left before exploding so I thought that I would watch the battle. You were awesome Amy! You sent that guy packing!" I stared a him, the others had looks of shock on their faces, dad looked about ready to start yelling at Justin. _He saw the entire fight! _

"Justin," I said with a worried glance at Tommy who looked pretty peeved and I was struggling to stay calm myself. "At what time did you get rid of the detonator?" I saw Kat put a restraining hand on Tommy's shoulder.

"A few minutes after the fight." he said still looking confused.He continued with. "After the fight was over. I was about to go over to you to see if you were okay, but then I remembered the bomb." _That means he must have had seconds to get rid of the_ _detonator. No wonder it went off after the battle._ I took a deep breath and out of the corner of my eye saw Tommy being restrained by the other rangers.

"Justin do you realize what could have happened while you where watching the fight? A Pirahantron could have come and stolen the detonator and placed it at some other location. What if we hadn't been able to locate it? What if it had gone off and a building was destroyed? What if there were people nearby or, god forbid, people _inside _the building where the detonator was?" Justin's face fell.

"I'm sorry." he shuffled his feet. "I didn't even think of that."

"That's right." snapped Tommy angrily. "You didn't think!" Justin flinched.

"Well, at least you saved the power plant and you weren't hurt, that's something." Tommy said. Justin brighten a bit but then his face fell when Tommy sent Justin away saying that he and the others will deal with him later. Tommy asked me several questions about whether I had used my powers when I was battling the guy. I shook my head.

"No, I didn't. I was about to use them when Justin appeared. I told him to go back to help you guys but he said that he had wanted to help me."

"I don't believe this." Tommy said.

"We'll talk to him." said Adam.

"Oh, you bet we'll talk." said Tommy through gritted teeth.

"Tommy, he's just a kid. He still has a lot to learn, don't be too hard on him." Kat said quietly. I whipped my head around and stared at her.

"Don't go too hard on him? Kat, do you have any idea what the consequences could have been if Justin had just been a few minutes late with getting rid of that bomb...."

"Detonator." said Tento.

"Whatever." I snapped.

"Justin has to learn that he needs to take this situation that he's in seriously, if he finds out that we don't always save the day, that an enemy can beat us and that we can get hurt, it will probably unnerve hin so much that he will be of no use to us in battle. And we need everyone to fight, if whoever I fought yesterday makes a reappearance."

"You're right Amy. Tommy and I will talk to him, if he doesn't listen to us then we'll get Rocky to talk to him."

"Justin looked up to Rocky when he was in Rocky's class."

_That's one problem resolved_. I had taken off to the power plant to see if I could pick up clues to whoever that guy was, the spot had been cleared of Pirahantrons. _Divatox must have teleported them back to her ship for burial or something. Though I sincerely doubt that._ Right now, Justin was chatting it up with Tentomon. _Probably asking him why's I'm the only one that calls him Tentomon while the others call him Alpha_. Justin seemed to have gotten over the shock of being lectured by Tommy and Zordon and finding out that the Power Rangers are not invulnerable. _Or invincible._ He promised that he would never do what he did yesterday ever again and promised that he would follow orders from now on. _I hope so. If he doesn't maybe Divatox will do us a favor and teach him a lesson._ Instantly I felt guilty. _Justin has enough on his plate as it is, what with being the only 12 year old to attend high school, and becoming a Power Ranger, he certainly doesn't need an assault by our resident space pirate._

A week later dad and Tentomon received an urgent message from Edenio: Dregon's armies had gotten stronger and King Lexian was asking for dad's help in fighting the overwhelming army. It was a real war now! I didn't want dad to leave us, we'd be lost without him. _I'd be lost without him. He's my only link to my forgotten past and in a way, he's the only family that I have left._ I stared up at dad, the others were clearly shocked and began to ask questions about when they'll return and actually began to beg dad asking him to take us also. Dad shook his head saying that we were needed on earth to fight off Divatox. I refused to stay, I wanted fight by his side, I wanted to keep him safe, I wanted to protect him, so that he wouldn't end up like my mom. _I don't want to lose another parent to Dregon!_ I thought as tears unexpectedly began to flow down my face. _I won't!_ Dad looked down at me, he looked torn as well. We were once again going to be separated by war when we had just finally found each other. It seemed like such a short time ago when I started to think of Zordon as my dad. _Why does it have to be like this? Why can't dad send us to Edenio to help them out so he and Tento don't have to go, we've done it before we can do it again._ I voiced my idea, the others nodded hoping that dad will say yes, but he shook his head saying that it was too dangerous plus too risky, for both us and Angel Grove.

"What if Divatox launched an attack and the Power Rangers were no where to be found?"

I shook my head hard.

"We'll split up into two teams, I could go with you and Tentomon to Edenio and the others can stay here and fight off Divatox."

"But what if that guy shows up again?"

"SHUT UP JUSTIN!" I screamed angrily turning on him, he took a step back surprised at my fury. Right now I didn't care if that guy showed up again, I didn't care if Divatox launched an attack right now, all I cared about now was bieng with my father, keeping him safe and alive. _I don't want to bury another parent!_

"Could all of you leave us alone for a bit?" dad said quietly to the others. Kat put her hands on Justin's shoulders and softly said.

"Come on." She led him away and the others followed casting backward glances at both dad and Tento as if right at that moment both of them would leave. After the doors leading out of the Power Chamber slide shut and after waiting for a couple of more moments to make sure that the others were really gone and out of earshot. I let loose.

"You can't leave dad! I won't let you!" The tears were still flowing, I didn't wipe them away.

"Amy, I have to go." he said softly looking down at me.

"No you don't, you have a chioce!" I protested angrily.

"Lexian is a freind, I have to help him out. You would do the samething for the others and for Billy and Kimberly. He is Dex's grandfather as well, and you know that at a moment's notice you would help him out if he asked." Sadness and anger flowed through me. I said desperately.

"Then let me come with you guys, the others can take care of Divatox and her monsters, they're not even that strong! They can handle them fine, please dad?" Once again dad shook is head saying that I was need here on earth that it was too dangerous for me on Edenio.

"Dregon's men already know what we look like, if you come with me there is a possibility that you'll be captured with the intent of bieng used as a bargaining tool for Edenio's surender. I couldn't stand the thought to have my only duaghter at the hands of Dregon's men, here on earth you will be safe." I shook my head furiously.

"Me safe? What about you dad? You'll be going to your death if you go to Edenio. What if Dregon shows up? You'll be at his mercy, you'll....you'll end up like mom. I don't want that dad, I really don't. I can't stand the fact that mom..." I began to cry and at the sametime thought. _Oh god does he know that Dregon was the one? _I looked up at him, he had a sad look on his face which made me wonder if he really _did _know and had seen for himself that mom had died at the hands of Dregon. My mind flashed back to the first time when he had told me that he was my father. I had screamed at him.

"Did you know that mom was going to die?" _Maybe he did, in a werid way._ Dad smiled down at me.

"Hey, I maybe trapped in a tube and caught between two different dimensions but that doesn't mean that I'm helpless, I have powers you know. I can kick anyone's butt as well as you kids." I smiled though my tears. Then after a moment.

"I'll be careful Amy I promise. And I'll come back. And if Dregon _does _show his face on Edenio, I'll more than gladly battle him in a duel." I looked at him, startled for a moment, then I remembered that it was Dregon's fault that mom and I had to flee from Eltar, it was Dregon's fault that I had lost my memories and that mom had died. But most of all it was Dregon's fault that dad had lost his family twice, so of course dad wanted to battle Dregon himself and get his revenge. I nodded in understanding and at the same time my shoulders sagged.

"I can't stop you from going even though I want to use my powers at their fullest but....and I really hate myself for saying this......you're right. Dregon took a lot from you and you have a right to...." Dad looked down at me not saying anything. I blinked rapidly and managed to stop myself from letting out a sob. I levitated myself and floated toward him and put my arms around his tube, dad had a look on his face that said that he wished that he could hold me, just once. We stayed like that for a while then I had to teleport and find the others so that they could say goodbye.

My friends stared up at dad, they were either crying or trying to hold in their emotions with little success, all except Justin, he just wished dad and Tento good luck and to be careful, but he stood off to one side as the rest of us hugged dad and Tentomon and told them to be careful and to call us if it gets to be too much for them and to return safely. After telling us that they would be careful, Lerigot appeared, and with his power, he gave dad his freedom at long last. The key that Lerigot had around his neck, glowed brightly and dad's tube glowed also, dad closed his eyes and began to glow also, then it looked as if he were pressing himself up against the glass of the tube. After a few moments there was a _whooshing_ sound and dad was on the outside.....but changed. Instead of a floating head, a man stood in front of us. He was tall, with dark brown hair and blue eyes, he was clothed in a blue tunic, black boots and a dark blue cape that looked majestic on his shoulders. All of us stood frozen to the spot. We stared, not believing what we were seeing. _It was my father in his true form!!_ He smiled at all of us.

"Hello rangers." he said. _Is that really his voice?_ It just blew me.....all of us away to hear a human voice coming from my dad, when we were used to his booming voice reverberating throughout the Power Chamber. Tommy stepped forward.

"Z-zordon?" he said looking at him up and down. Dad nodded. The others stepped forward as well and looked dad over. I stayed where I was wondering if this was all a dream or an illusion, but no. My dad was really here, standing right in front of me and accepting hugs and handshakes from the others. Dad stepped away from them and walked over to me, the others stayed silent as both of us stared at each other for a few moments, then without another word dad, fulfilled his deepest wish, he pulled me close and hugged me. I stood frozen for a moment then slowly I hugged him back. My father and I......we were holding each other for the first time!!! I closed my eyes and felt a rush of warmth go through me....but no memories of dad and I hugging surfaced in my mind. Dad stroked my hair.

"My Amy.....my little Amy." he whispered. He began to cry, I hugged him tightly.

"Dad." I said in a low voice choked with tears. We stayed like that for a while, then slowly as if letting me go would send him right back into that accursed tube, he released me and stepped back and stood looking at me.

"Zordon, we have to go." said Tentomon quietly. For a moment I thought that dad didn't hear him, after a bit he bent and gave me a kiss on the forehead. Tears were still streaming down his face as he took a step back, turned and walked over to where Tento and Lerigot were standing.

"Good-bye rangers, take care and .....all of you have made me very proud. I love you all."

"We love you too Zordon, Alpha." said Kat. We all nodded in agreement, choked with too much emotion to speak. Then all three of them were gone. _Good-bye dad._ Then as soon as they were gone all of us let loose and cried.

**Thought I'd let you know, the word Pirahantron is very hard to spell but I'm trying my best to memorize the correct way to spell it.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

We hadn't been crying long when a rude voice called out.

"Yo! I think I should get a more happier greeting then that." Looking up and turning toward the double doors, we were shocked to see.

"Alpha?" said Kat. I was about to go rushing toward him and engulf him in a hug thinking that he and dad had changed their minds afer all, that they were going to take us with them. But I stopped myself just in time. My eyes narrowed as I looked at this Alpha unit, it looked like Tento, but it wasn't Tento, first off it's voice was extremely rude. It sounded like a New Yorker.

"Who did you expect?" said the Alpha unit. The others were staring at this unit with something between curiosity and surprise. I went over to the it and began to walk around it studying it from all sides.

"Take a picture it'll last longer." _This must be another Alpha unit that is to be the substitute for Tentomon. _I remembered how Dex had told me, just before he had left for earth to fight Count Dregon that, King Lexian had created a number of Alpha units and had sent them off to different parts of the galaxy to help in the fight against evil. _But which number is this one? _Looking at the bewildered looks on the others faces, the Alpha unit introduced himself as Alpha six.

"And you guys must be the Power Rangers, pleased to meet you." I gave a curt nod.

"Likewise." I was already missing Tento's voice. _Compared to this dude's Tento's sounded more gentle._ I thought to myself as we introduced ourselves to Alpha six I looked down at this Alpha unit, but it was Tommy that asked my question.

"If you're going to substituting for Alpha five then who's going be the substitute for Zordon?"

"Hold your horses she'll be arriving shortly." Alpha six walked over to the control panel and tapped a few buttons. _Tentomon must have told him about the Power Chamber's layout_. I thought, but I couldn't help but feel a bit of anger go through me at seeing another Alpha unit, a complete stranger at that, handle the controls when I was so used to see my dear friend handle them. I wanted to shove Alpha six out of the way and tell him to stay away from the controls, that nobody could touch them except Tentomon. Next thing we knew a woman teleported herself in front of us. She looked at us and we looked at her. She appeared to be wearing a long white robe with a scarf that covered the lower part of her face, she had brown eyes and had brown hair with streaks of blonde in them. We all glanced at each other, apparently at a lost for words.

"Yo! Have all of you lost your voices?" snapped Alpha six, I scowled and turned toward him. _It's official. I don't like _this_ Alpha unit._ Tommy gave himself a shake and took a step forward and said.

"Hi, I'm Tommy, this is Kat, Amy, Adam and Justin. Who are you?" The woman blinked at him then said...or rather asked.

"Do you know who you are?" I cocked my head to one side and stared at her. Dad had given us a fair warning that our new mentor was going to be a little strange and to be patient with her, as this was going to be her first time being a mentor to a group of kids. _I wish he had been a bit more specific at how strange. _I glanced at Alpha six. _And I wish that he had told us more about the Alpha unit._ Tommy glanced at us.

"Y-yeah, we're the Power Rangers." She looked at all of us.

"Are you happy being Rangers?" The others all nodded. I hesitated for a split second then nodded as well. _I can't show them that I would rather be a normal girl. _The woman smiled then floated upward until she was level with the tube that had kept dad imprisoned for so long. She slid into it, and looked down at all of us. We looked up at her. It was strange, for a full two and half years I had looked up at this tube and had seen my father looking down at me..._now I see this woman...this stranger looking down at me. A stranger that we're going to have to turn for advice, to help us in battle, a stranger that we are going to have to trust_. _She maybe the new mentor but she will never replace dad. _A sudden thought made itself known._ The others must have felt the same way when I replaced Aisha as the Yellow Ranger_. Justin was greeting Alpha six and Dimitria(Alpha six made the introductions) and telling them all about the Power Rangers, mostly bringing them up to speed on what was going on. Tommy and the others were still staring at Dimitria. I guess they were still getting over the shock that the Ranger Team was going to be mentored by someone else other than dad. I thought that it would be best if we talked about it, get over the shock and let our thoughts about our new mentor out into the air.

"Guys, why don't we go down to Angel Grove and grab a smoothie?" All three of my friends turned and stared at me the shock still on their faces. Comprehension appeared on Adam's face and he nodded.

"Oh yeah, I could really go for a smoothie." He turned towed toward Tommy and Kat who both nodded in agreement. Justin wanted to stay, he was really excited to met more aliens, so we left him and headed over to the Juice Bar. But we didn't stay there for long, so taking our drinks we all went to the park and sat down at a picnic table. Tommy, Adam and Kat were all silent. I sipped my smoothie and looked to my right where the cemetery was. I was half expecting to see a fresh bouquet of flowers on my mom's grave, proof that dad had visited her before he left but I didn't see any. _Maybe he didn't have enough time._ But I couldn't help of feel a wave of disappointment, I bit my lower lip as I looked at my friends, who still hadn't spoken a word. For a while we just sat there. Finally I said.

"Listen you guys, we might as well talk about this and try to get over the shock of it all." After a moment of silence Adam finally said.

"Its definitely going to be different." Kat nodded in agreement.

"It's going to take a while getting used to seeing Dimitria in that tube instead of Zordon."

"And hearing that voice coming out of Alpha." said Tommy.

But..." and Tommy let out a sigh and stood up and walked around the table a bit, "we are going to have to get used to this...just like..." he stopped and his eyes settled on me. I looked at him knowing exactly how he felt.

"I–I should call up Kim, and Billy and let them know what's up. Billy's probably going to come down for a visit and ask questions about dad taking off for Edenio, Dex told me that word sort of travels fast in space." The others nodded.

"Can you tell Billy and Kimberly that we said hi?" said Adam. I nodded as I stood up also. Adam and Kat stood up and threw their drinks in a nearby trash can. Then without saying another word we went off in two different directions. I knew that they were going to tell Rocky the news, suddenly I began to wish that dad had given us a bit more warning, _then Kim and Rocky would have been able to say good-bye._ I got home and limped up the stoop stairs and entered the house, dropping my stuff onto the floor I stood for a moment in the living room, then letting out a deep breath I limped over to the phone and called my sister.

Kim asked a bunch of questions and kept asking me if I was okay, truthfully I was still dealing with the fact that my dad was no longer going to be in my life, more so, I wouldn't be able to contact him to see if he and Tento were alright and had reached Edenio safely. I kept praying that they did and that mom was watching over dad and protecting him from Count Dregon._ I hope dad gives Lexian the help he needs and doesn't get captured or anything. Darn it! I should have given dad my locket_. But....even if I had begged him to take my locket dad would refuse, he would also say that my powers were needed on earth to fight off Divatox. _Divatox's monsters and henchmen are no contest, they're pretty easy to beat even without my powers. still....I should be cautious its only been a few weeks, maybe I'm underestimating Divatox, maybe she's more powerful then we all realized....then again.....she _did_ act like a complete nut job when we first met her. _I shook my head, unable to make up my mind about Divatox. I turned back to the phone and told Kim about the new Alpha unit, while chopping up potatoes for french fries and keeping an eye on the sizzling hamburger patties, I just needed something to do and cooking was the best way to work off some of the shock that I was feeling.

"Sounds like the others are taking this change really well." said Kim. I could hear sarcasm in her voice.

"To tell the truth Kim, I'm a little worried about Tommy and Adam." I said as I sprinkled seasoning on the fries, placed them on a foil covered tray and placed them in the oven, I shut the oven door and began to cut up tomatoes and onions.

"This'll be the second big change for them..."

"Second?"

"Well, the third big change for the Ranger Team."

"Uh...Ames? The Ranger Team as gone through several BIG changes."

"What I mean is REAL changes that effect the team.....like when I came on the team. You guys had absolutely no idea if the entire thing was going to work out, I mean I wasn't sure if you guys would accept me as a full member, in fact I thought that you would resent me for taking over Aisha's place so soon after her death."

"What? Amy, where did you get those ridicules ideas that we wouldn't accept you?" I hesitated I remembered the tension underneath that I had sensed all those times when I was near the boys. I got the feeling that I was unwanted. _Would it be a good idea to mention this to Kim? A really big no would be the answer._ I flipped the patties over and at the same time switched the phone to my other ear.

"Well I was just thinking about all that I went through with Kat, when she came on the team. I mean my feelings toward her replacing you weren't really friendly."

"Yeah but that was different. First off, she used to be evil, she did a fairly good job of tricking all of us, and delivered you to Zedd, but she broke free of the spell and helped you escape and gave me back my Power Cion. And even if _you_ did not exactly trust her in the beginning and resented her for taking my place..." _Not to mention resenting the others for forgiving her so easily._

"You got over it in time and you accepted her into the team." I nodded thoughtfully into the phone.

"Yeah." _It had taken a while for the others to accept me, just like it took a while for me to accept Kat. It'll take time, but I'll accept Dimitria and Alpha six.._ I flipped a couple of the patties and checked on the fries, I smiled when I saw that they were slightly brown. Kim wanted to know about how Justin was adjusting to all of these changes.

"He's seems glad that there are so many surprises in store."

"You sound uneasy." I blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, I guess. Its just that.....he still thinks that all of this is fun and exciting and new. He just doesn't seem to realize that there are worse dangers out there ....or any dangers at all. He thinks that everything will be alright in the end after each and every battle....when it hasn't always been that way..... I know that I sound like a party pooper but..."

"You just don't want Justin to get hit too hard when he sees the reality of it all."

"Yeah, I mean I got hit with it pretty hard on the day that my earth parents died. Say did I ever apologize for exploding on you guys?"

"Yeah you did."

"Oh." The patties were done, scooping them up and piling them on a napkin covered plate I covered them with another plate, which had been turned upside down. Next I got out the fries and with a fork I inserted it into a fry and saw that they were done. I smiled to myself as I got the tray out of the oven and began removing the fries and placing them on another plate.

"So have you contacted Billy?" Kim asked as I moved the food to the table.

"Yeah, lucky for us Tento sent up his laptop so that we could talk to him via email and not have to teleport to the Power Chamber whenever we want to talk to him."

"What did he say?"

"He's pretty much in shock and asked why dad and Tento didn't contact him or you so that you guys would be able to say good bye and wish him luck."

"Zordon must have thought that it would have been too painful to wait and say goodbye to everyone Alpha too. It must have been especially painful saying goodbye to you Ames, he just barely found you and now...." A lump was in my throat and I swallowed hard.

"Yeah, I wish that....I know that everyone says this....I know I thought this a lot after my mom died...but I wish that we had a bit more time together ya know?"

"Heh, those were my exact thoughts when Aisha died." I shifted uncomfortably and began twisting a napkin. _Even though the monster that killed Aisha is dead, I still feel guilty because I was forced into the bargain and I hate myself now and then because I wasn't strong_ _enough to resist Zedd's magic, nor was I able to protect my family and I know that I shouldn't blame myself for her death but I can't help it. And even though I know that I should tell Kim and the others what I had done....I can't! I JUST CANT! _Thankfully Kim changed the subject.

"So did you talk to Dex about the new Alpha unit?" I breathed a sigh of relief, then I glanced at the clock. _Kat should have been back by now._ I began to make my hamburger, since I was really hungry. Between bites I explained to Kim what Dex had said.

"My grandfather built a number of the Alpha units, don't ask me how many, I don't think that he even knows. When he built them he gave them each a different personality and a different voice to tell them apart."

"Is that why Alpha six is and sounds rude?" Dex had frowned offended that I would call one of his grandfather's inventions rude. But he brushed it away and said yes.

"That explains why our Alpha was all nice and cool and all that."

"Yeah." _I hope that we'll see him again._ I began to tell her about Dimitria, how we found out for ourselves that she didn't answer questions, she asked them.

"I seriously wonder, what was dad thinking sending someone who asks questions instead of answering them?"

"What do you mean?"

"She answers questions _with questions_. She can only speak in questions!!"

"Are you serious?"

"Yep."

"What was Zordon thinking?"

"My thoughts exactly." After a pause Kim asked.

"Well, do you know if she's a friend of Zordon's or just someone that he picked out to mentor you guys?"

"I have no idea Kim, I tried to get an answer out of her, but her answering questions with a question got on my nerves and when I asked Alpha six he just gave me this rude answer."

"Well can't you contact Zordon and ask him?"

"I could but I kind of don't want to."

"Why not?" It took a moment for me to reply, that was because I had a bit of hamburger and french fry in my mouth, swallowing I said.

"Because it trivial really, I mean dad's facing strong enemies left and right and he gets interrupted by his daughter who wants to know why, in all that is holy, why did he pick a mentor who answered in nothing but questions and a robot who is rude all the time? That would be ... like whining to him that we don't like the new replacements."

"But you don't!"

"We're just not used to them that's all, besides if I tell dad this what can he do? He won't leave in the middle of a war and say "Okay, since the Rangers don't like you, you have to leave?" Nah uh, Dad is definitely not going to do that. He'll probably tell us that we have to get used to these changes right now, just like we got used to the different zord changes and all that. And he'll be right. Right now we....or _I_ don't like Alpha six or Dimitria but that's because I'm not used to them, I know that, in due time I will, just like I got used to being a ranger and constantly being on Zedd's radar."

"Not to mention Dregon's."

"Dregon has the Masked Rider to contend with before he can ever lay a hand on me. Besides its been a while since he's attacked me. You think that a guy with a grudge against my father for stealing the woman he loved and having a half-alien half-human daughter would be on me 24/7 like Zedd was."

"Well, like you said he does have the Masked Rider to deal with and besides he's trying to take over Leawood, kill Dex, get his hands on the Masked Rider powers and make everyone into his slaves....I would say that he has his hands full."

"Yeah, I guess I should be glad that I've been shoved out of Dregon's mind."

"Okay, just one more thing. How are the others taking all of this?"

"I'm not sure." I said as I helped myself to some more fries and sprinkled some salt on them.

"They seem to take it all in stride, but that's only on the surface. You're going to have to ask them yourself."

"I thought you talked to them."

"I did...we did...kind of. They're still adjusting, still soaking it in you know. I suggested that they go and tell Blue Elf what's been happening, I thought that it would give them a chance to come to terms with....it and to give them a chance to be by themselves." I dipped a fry into the small mound of ketchup that I had on my plate and chewed thoughtfully. Kim made a noise like she agreed and wondered out loud if Tommy was going to call up Zack, Trini and Jason.

"Okay, lets get down to the nitty gritty. _How _are you dealing with it all?" I paused then finally said.

"To tell the truth Kim...I feel as if I'm losing everyone that mattered to me the most. First mom, then you, and now dad. Right now Angel Grove seems scarier without dad and Tentomon watching our backs..I know it sounds weird but that's the way it seems like to me. But worst of all I hate these thoughts that are running through my head." I stopped, not sure if I should be talking to Kim about this. _Maybe it would be better if I told mom this._

"What thoughts?" Kim asked. I began to curse myself. _Why did I mention it? Why is my sister so easy to talk to?_ I took a deep breath, knowing that I couldn't avoid it.

"The thoughts of history repeating itself. Dad getting killed or captured and I'm too faraway to go to his aid like on the day that my mom died."

"Amy, listen to me. Nothing is going to happen to your dad okay? He's got Alpha five watching him, King Lexian and the other edeniets plus he has his powers. He'll be okay Amy, you have got to believe in that. And _if _anything happens to him, Alpha will contact us or Lexian and all of us will come running and kick some serious bad guy butt." I smiled. Already feeling a bit better. Still I couldn't help but worry.

"Thanks Kim, I can always go to you for cheering up."

"Hey no problem sis. Try not to worry so much and get yourself to concentrating on keeping an eye on Justin."

"Sure thing." The front door opened.

"Oh, I have to fo Kim, the guys are here. I'll talk to you later okay?"

"'kay bye Amy and try not to worry so much about your dad."

"I'll try not to Kim." Then I hung up the phone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning came bright and clear, as I opened my eyes and glanced out my window. I lay in bed for a while staring up at the ceiling, my mind going over the events of the last few hours. Dad and Tentomon leaving, being replaced by two complete strangers that we are supposed to instantly trust. _What was dad thinking? Just sending these two strangers to take over as mentor and assistant and we are to instantly welcome them with open arms? With very little warning and no description of their personalities, how are we supposed to know that these two are the right match for us? _I paused and thought about what I said to Kim yesterday and what I went through when I first came onto the team, the nervousness that I felt about replacing a Ranger that I myself had killed, the need to prove myself worthy of being the holder of the Yellow Power Cion, the nagging doubt that the others would never accept me as a full team mate and friend. But those fears had began to slowly melt away as I got to know my friends and found my place. Then I thought about Justin....it was different with him. We just accepted him without a thought....I guess it was because he was a kid... and kids need to be protected, especially with what we have to face. _It'll take time...but we will accept Dimitria and Alpha six. _I rolled over onto my side and gazed at a picture that was on my dresser, it was of me, dad and Tentomon. It was taken only last summer, I had asked dad and Tento if I could take a picture of them with me in it. Dad wanted to know why.

"You see me everyday Amy, I'm not going anywhere." Tento had nodded as well. In truth I had no idea either, why take a picture of two people who are still going to be around long after I'm old and gray? The only two people in my life that I thought for sure I would never lose. I had never mentioned this to my friends or dad, not even to mom....but I felt an urge to take a picture of my father and my best friend. Only after I had taken it the urge had left, but I would get this weird feeling that dad and Tentomon were going to leave. I had brushed it away and had continued on with my life, but now as I looked at the photo I couldn't help but wonder. _Did a part of me know that this was going to happen? Or maybe it was mom, sending me some sort of telepathic message that I was going to lose another parent? Mom, I wish I could talk to you right now_.I sat up and pictured my mom sitting down beside me and giving me a hug. I closed my eyes briefly as the familiar pain flared up in my chest. I opened my eyes, let out a sigh, threw back the covers and began to get dressed for work.

"See ya later Kat!" I called as I limped out the front door.

"Bye! Have a good day!"

"I will dear." I could hear her laughing as I got on my bike and began to pedal toward my job. I looked around as I rode down the street, everything seemed different, more scarier. Knowing that dad and Tentomon were no longer going to be in the Power Chamber, watching our backs made us feel vulnerable.....made _me_ feel vulnerable and all of us were certain that with dad and Tento gone, we were open to any and all attacks that our enemies could and would throw at us. Dad was more than just a mentor and a father-figure to us.....he was like a rock. Always there to turn to whenever we had a problem, giving us advice, scolding us if we did anything wrong. Acting like a therapist and teacher, listening to us talk about the woefulness of being a teenager, to our hopes and dreams. Dad and Tentomon did all that listening and yet......_we never did _any_ listening ourselves. We thought that they didn't have hopes, dreams, doubts or fears. All of us were caught up in our own lives and our own problems that we never asked Dad or Tentomon if they were feeling alright, or asking if they had any problems. Because we thought that they _had_ none. And me? Whenever I had a problem or needed advice who did I turn to? My mother. _I paused and thought for a bit. _I wonder if dad did the same thing like I did this morning. Pretend that mom was in front of him and talked to her, wonder if he did that during all those years when we were separated. I'll make it up to him, I really will. As soon as he and Tentomon get back the three of us, plus my friends, are going to have a really long talk, in fact I think it's time that _we_ did some listening for a change. _I parked my bike and locked it in the bike rack, then after climbing off it, I grabbed my lunch and the rest of my things and headed into the store.

After a long hard day of running back and forth between the back stock rooms, the Power Chamber and back to my job, I was ready for a break. _My feet are killing me._ I thought as I limped to my bike and climbed onto it. I thought of the distance between my job and my house, I sagged. _Its such a long way!!_ I whined privately. _I could morph there, but Alpha six or Dimitria would see and ask questions. No, you will not morph and show that you have powers that you were born with Amy Karmer. You will get on your bike and pedal to your house like any other human being......does my house have to be so far?_ I thought wearily as I began to laboriously pedal. I was looking forward to kicking back, relaxing and soaking my feet in warm water when....something slammed into me from behind knocking me from my bike. I fell face down on the pavement and lay there winded for a second. _What the?_ I scrambled to my feet and saw that a monster was pointing a device that looked a bit like a gun at me, without hesitating, without thinking I morphed.

"Dune Star Turbo Power!" As I morphed I couldn't help but notice a white light flow up my body and end at the top of my head, I let out a gasp as the morphing sequence failed, and behind me from the ground rose up another ranger, I spun away from it and saw to my astonishment that this ranger was an exact copy! It was gray at first but the white light that had drained me of my morphing sequence had turned yellow and was flowing into the copy, until the suit was a yellow, although pale, color. Without pausing it's fist shot out, instinctively I ducked and kicked out with my right foot. It flipped over me and landed behind me, I lashed out with a spin kick it leapt backward. I spun and began to punch and kick it, the copy blocked and wove out of my reach. _What the hell is going on? _I thought as I tried to lay an uppercut on the copy's chin, it dodged and swung a right hook, I grabbed it's wrist and twisted it and somersaulted over it, I landed behind the copy and kicked it in the back, it went stumbling forward. _Good thing I wear baggy work pants._ It charged at me and spun kicked me in the side I grabbed it's foot and sent it spinning, using a corkscrew kick I was sent reeling. I stumbled back and fell. I jumped to my feet, I couldn't help but notice that the monster was still there, watching me, a look of confusion on its face as he(I think) watched the copy and I fight. The copy began to punch and kick me in rapid succession, I had to go on the defense, I managed to get one good punch to its stomach but it recovered quickly and pulled out a gun. I began to back flip quickly, barley dodging the blasts from the gun until I reached a light pole, in mid flip I planted both of my feet onto it and pushed off with all of my might. My arm was cocked back as I flew at my copy, it managed to swerve to one side but I manage to twist my body around and kick out with my foot, the copy went flying. It's gun flew from it's hand and skidded a few feet away. I landed and stood up to face the both of them, the copy got unsteadily to its feet, the monster was staring at me.

"None of the others were as tough as you." Others? _Tommy, Kat, Adam! _"Even the little brat didn't put up much of a fight_." Justin! _The monster shrugged its shoulders.

"Two out of five ain't bad." The monster aimed a hand at me I dodged its lasers that came from it's fingers. _That's enough!_ I shot forward, both of my hands glowing while I began to power up.

"Yellow Ranger...." I had almost reached them.

"Power....._" _But before I could unleash my attack, they vanished_. _I stopped and the glow from my hands faded, I watched them as their streaks vanished. _Two out of five? Someone else must have also escaped. _I limped as fast as I could to my bike, picked it up, clambered aboard and began to pedal as fast as I could back to the house. I leapt off the bike and began to limp to the side of the house where I wouldn't be seen. Then I teleported to the Power Chamber, once I got there I was surprised and relieved to see...

"Tommy!" He turned and we both hugged each other.

"Are you all right?" I asked. He nodded.

"Just a few bruises, what about you?" I was about to answer when Alpha six interrupted.

"Yo! Enough with this stuff, we've got to find the others." I looked at him. Then I turned toward Tommy.

"What happened?" Tommy explained that he had gotten a call from Adam that he and Kat had been attacked by the monster, then the copies showed up and snatched them away. Justin had been captured as well but Tommy had managed to escape.

"This copies of ours seemed to drain us of our morphing ability for then stole our colors, then they attacked, they were about to grab me to but I managed to teleport away."

"Any idea where they went, or what we might be dealing with here?" I asked. Tommy glanced at Dimitria an angry and exasperated look on his face. He shook his head.

"I got no answers." he said.

"Alpha six will you try and figure out who that monster is, where it and those copies took the others and any sort of weakness that they might have?" I asked.

"What do I look like an encyclopedia?" I lost my temper.

"If you're not going to help then get out of the way!" I shouted as I gave him a shove, he stumbled back as I took over the controls. I began to work at the computer to try to find some information about where our friends were. Tommy was looking at me, surprised that I had actually been rude to an Alpha unit that looked so much like our friend. Without turning. I told him.

"Tommy, Zordon is no longer here to guide us or to give us advice and neither is Tentomon, we are on our own. We have to solve our problems on our own. We are going to have to start relying on ourselves and each other if we are going to get through this war. Do you understand me Tommy?" He glanced up at Dimitria, who only gazed down at me not saying anything, the expression on her face was impassive. Finally he walked over to me.

"What do you want me to do?" I smiled at him and gave him instructions. A few moments later we had all the information we needed on our copies and the monster, which was called Chromite and thankfully he was just another monster. The copies of ourselves, were made of refracted light, and they were powered by our morphing energy that they had stolen.

"So we can't really morph, if we do then we'll only be giving them more power." I was reading from the info that the computer had spat out, I was thankful for Tento and Billy for teaching me how to look up information on my own, using the Power Chamber's computer. Tommy read from his own read out that the location of our friends was the Chromite Cave.

"Do you know where that is? I don't think I've ever heard of that place." Tommy nodded.

"Yeah I know where it is I went there this one time with Billy and Kim."

"Okay, Tommy two things, one: Which one of us is going to that cave? Two: Which one of the copies do you think is going to be guarding the others while the other copies are out and about in Angel Grove looking for us?" he looked at me surprised and I gave a mock irritated sigh.

"Tommy Oliver, do YOU even remember your Green Ranger days? Come on dude, those days give you an advantage on what the enemy is thinking." The alarm rang, we turned to the computers and began to seek out the disturbance.

"Looks like our copies are on the move."

"Look, there are only four of them. " I looked at the Viewing Globe. The Blue, Red, Green and Pink Rangers along with Chromite were roaming around town calling us out. _Oh, you'll get a fight._ I thought as me and Tommy tried to figure out which of us will go to the cave and which will go to and deal with the copy at the cave.

"Okay here's what we do, Amy, you go to the cave and get the others out of there. I'm sure that you'll be alright, you kicked that fake yellow ranger's butt. I was watching." He said with a smile.

"I'll take care of Chromite and his rangers." I was already worried, I was able to hold my own against the fake yellow ranger due to the fact that I was half alien and I had semi super human strength. But I couldn't point this out to Tommy nor could I talk him out of this. So I nodded and wished him luck.

"We'll join you as soon as we can." Tommy nodded.

"Right, good luck Ames." We teleported away. I arrived at the cave and after looking around for a bit entered it. Hugging the wall I crept forward into I came to a large room. The room was dark save for two lights, that were attached to the walls that lit up one section of the room. To my right was a cage big enough to put the entire Ranger Team there, which included half of the team. Ducking behind a rock that was near me I watched my friends and the Ranger copy that was pacing back and forth. Justin was trying to morph over and over again disbelief on his face, Adam and Kat were trying to blast their way out of the cage but their powers weren't working. The Yellow Ranger copy walked up to them and sneered.

"Give it up Rangers, you'll never get out of here, soon the last two remaining Rangers will join you and then we can deliver you all to our leader Divatox. She plans on destroying the four of you, but that Yellow Ranger....has caught her interest." My eyes narrowed. _Looks like Divatox had gotten word that I managed to hold my own against the copy._ _Okay, first things first I have to figure out how to get rid of her. _Tommy had found a weakness.

"They are made of light so if we can get them into a large amount of shade, their as good as gone." _Okay, should be easy enough in this place. All I have to do is knock out those two lights, then I could get my friends out of here and help out Tommy. But how do I knock out those light without being seen? _I tried to think of a plan,_ my Power Blasts will be seen_, _if I confront her in a one on one fight Justin will see that there is something up with me if I can take on a copy of myself easily. I can't morph into a liquid state and take out the lights, Justin will see me. _After thinking for a few more minutes and at the same time getting worried about how much time I was wasting by sitting there and trying to think of a plan, it comes to me. My sword!_ That's it_! Summoning my sword, I unsheathed it, stood up and pulled back my arm then I flung it as hard as I could, I ducked behind the rock and peek out of the side of my hiding place. I telekineticely controlled my sword by sending it spinning toward one light, smashing it, then send the sword retreating into the darkness. The copy leapt back from the large amount of darkness that loomed up in front of her.

"What the? Who's there?" She demanded, she took out her pistol and aimed it toward the darkness, the others had all looked up as well. My sword came flying once again, she ducked as it zoomed toward her and let out a yell and vanished as the remaining light was smashed and the cave was engulfed in darkness.

"Amy is that you?" shouted Adam. In front of them came a soft yellow glow. I approached the cage, sword in sheath hanging from my hip. A floating ball of power in my hand. I smiled at my friends.

"Sure it is." I said as I summoned a Power Blast and they were free.

"Are you alright?" I asked them as I hugged Kat. Adam nodded.

"Yeah, we're okay. Where's Tommy?" I began to lead the way out of the cave.

"He's in Angel Grove taking care of the monster and of the other copies. Come on." I said, soon we were outside and within a moment, we had morphed and gone to aide our leader. The battle finished pretty quickly once we formed the Mega Turbo Zord. All we had to do was stand in front of the copies, block out the light and _Boom!_ They vanished. The monster, we just stepped on it, it was kind of like squishing a bug, I just hoped none of the remains were left on the bottom of the foot, how gross would that be? Anyway we arrived back at the Power Chamber, the others were congratulating and thanking us for saving them, Alpha six was busy yelling at me, but I ignored him. Tommy explained what had happened to make me public enemy number one in Alpha six's eyes and explained how we had figured out the weakness of the Ranger copies. I apologized to Alpha six for shoving him and all he said was.

"Not accepted." I shrugged my shoulders and listened as Tommy gave an account of what had gone on in Angel Grove while I was off at the cave rescuing the others. Kat and Adam thought that they were certainly done for. Justin stared at them.

"What! I knew that we would be all right in the end, we always are. Besides nothing bad really happened to us." We all stared a him and shook our heads.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It surprised me that Dimitria didn't seem at all angry when she heard me say those things....but then she wasn't very expressive in her feelings. _Then again she could be hiding her feelings and on the inside she could be as mad as hell. _I really didn't care to tell the truth, I still considered her a stranger intruding on our lives, replacing our mentor and friend and being entirely useless when it came to giving advice and helping us in our battles against Divatox and her monsters. Alpha six wouldn't speak to me unless, he had to, which was fine by me. I was sure that he knew that I didn't like him.

"So what made you say that Ames?" asked Dex. We were sitting on a bench at the park in Angel Grove. Dex had an arm around my shoulders, he was looking at me while he asked the question. I didn't look at him as I replied.

"Because, other than getting tired of Alpha six's rude remarks and Dimitria talking in riddles, I realized that even though dad had sent us a new mentor and assistant to help us out, in reality.....they weren't really helping us. They were just getting on our nerves. So since Dimitria's someone that we can't rely on to get straight answers from, we are going to have to rely on ourselves from now on."

"Do you think that the others are up to it? They've been mostly relying on Zordon and Alpha to give them answers for so long."

"I'll help them, it should be fairly easy. I _was_ under the thumb of Lord Zedd for six months and I was able to put some of what I learned into good use and since Divatox is a _psychopath and is a lot _like Zedd I should be able to predict her next move." Dex nodded, then reminded me to call on him, Magno or Chopper whenever we needed a hand. I gave him a kiss as a way of saying thanks. Then he asked.

"Why did Zordon chose Dimitria? There could have been some other candidates that would have jumped at the chance to mentor the Power Rangers." _Other candidates?_ _Hadn't thought of there being other candidates._

"I'm not sure, dad must have had his reasons for choosing Dimitria and A-6."

"A-6?"

"That's going to be Alpha six's nickname, I'll introduce it to him in a few days."

"I don't think he'll like it." I shrugged my shoulders, not really caring. I glanced at him.

"Dex?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you contact your grandfather? I want to see if dad and Tento are all right." Dex looked surprised.

"You can't contact him using the communication system in the Power Chamber?" A flash of annoyance went through me at the memory of the first and last time I had tried that. A-6 had wanted to know why I wanted to contact dad, when I told him that I just wanted to check up on dad and Tentomon he had only snapped at me.

"Yo! What are you going on about, wanting to 'check up on them?' You might want to wait until something _actually_ happens to them, they might be busy at the moment or, here's a thought, they could be fighting and it would be very distressing if you interrupted them with your whining of missing them and wanting them to come home, but they can't not until the war on Edenio is over and done with. Until then keep your whining to yourself." My mouth had dropped open at being spoken so rudely to and Dimitria was _just_ floating there and _not saying a thing!_ I wanted to grab A-6, shake him and shout

"I just want to see if my father and my best friend are all right!" But instead I had nodded and limped away shaking with anger. And it wasn't just me, the others wanted to know if dad and Tento were all right but A-6 flat out refused to contact them. We had tried e-mailing Billy and asking if the Cestro or any of the other Aquatarians could go to Edenio to check up on dad for us, Billy said that he had hoped that they could but they couldn't.

**The air on Edenoi is very dry and toxic, any contact with the air would kill them instantly. I'm sorry guys. Billy.** That had been a couple of days ago, we had written back to Billy saying that we would find another way to get in contact with dad and Tento. And the only other way that we could think of was Dex. Blue Elf asked me why I couldn't contact dad myself since I was an Eltarian.

"I'm only half, and besides I've already tried. I can't get through." I did it as sort of an experiment, I wanted to see if I could really could contact dad and at the same time wanted to see if the symbol of Eltar would appear on my forehead. To my dismay and disappointment nothing happened, even when I concentrated extremely hard, picturing my dad first in his human form then as a floating head, I had gotten the same results. At first I had thought that I couldn't do it because I was half human, or that maybe since I was still a teenager and not a fully grown woman and my powers hadn't fully developed. _Or maybe.....it's the amnesia. Maybe I used to be able to telepathically speak to my dad when I was younger, but now...that particular power is.....just gone. _After thinking it through, that seemed the most likely answer and wondered once again if I would ever get my memories back. I turned to Dex and told him what had happened at the Power Chamber and my friends attempts to try to find other ways of contacting dad plus my own. Dex looked at me.

"You tried to contact Zordon yourself?" I nodded.

"Yeah, but it didn't work. I'm pretty sure it's the amnesia." He looked at me sympathetically. He looked for a bit at the blue sky overhead, a thoughtful look on his face, then he got to his feet, turned and stretched out his hand.

"Call the others, tell them to meet us at your house." he said as he helped me to my feet. I danced a little jig as I turned toward him.

"Thanks Dex." I said happily.

A few moments later we were all crowded in the living room, Blue Elf was there also dancing on the balls of his feet, Tommy kept walking back and forth, Kat looked really excited and scared at the same time, Adam was cracking his knuckles. I limped into the living room and told them that I had just e-mailed Billy and left a message for Kim on her answering machine.

"Knowing my sister, when she hears this kind of news, she'll answer right away." I smiled. Dex turned to me and the others. He was going to contact King Lexian and Lexian would give us some news on dad and Tento.

"Everyone ready?" he asked. We all nodded, unconsciously all of us stepped closer to Dex, I was feeling anxious. _What if Lexian tells us that dad had been captured? Or that dad is out on the battlefield right now_? _Or that Dad had been injured and is now fighting for his life?_ I began to feel anxious and scared, wanting to yell at Dex to hurry up and contact his grandfather, wishing I could teleport myself to Edenio just to see if he was alright._ What if....? No don't you dare think that thought Amy! Its only been a few days, a lot of stuff can happen in a few days but what you're thinking _can't _happen!! Dad can totally handle himself, just like he handled Count Dregon and Rita. _Then I remembered what had happened at the end of the war against Rita. He had gotten trapped between two dimensions, forever in a tube, separated from his family. An image of dad in that prison again went through my head, I could see him beating himself against the sides of the tube screaming........

"Amy?" I started and looked into the face of Tommy.

"You alright?" A worried expression was on his face. I thought fast, but it was a little hard shoving that picture of dad back in that prison once again from my mind.

"Yeah, I'm okay. J-just thinking that what if Dimitria or Alpha six see this? There'll be a lot of questions to answer and I'll probably be accused of keeping secrets." I was surprised to see that Blue Elf's eyes had lit up.

"Not to worry Shortstuff, Adam and I took care of it. Adam here, activated the Viewing Globe Blocker, so there is no way that Dimitria or Alpha can look into this house. They're spoiling this, not after Alpha told you off the last time you asked to check up on your dad. I, on the other hand distracted Alpha long enough so Adam can work his magic. " Both boys grinned. It was common knowledge that the Power Chamber did have a way to see through houses and buildings if trouble came up inside, there had been a couple of times where Blue Elf, after finding this out, had begged dad if he could use "the X-ray vision" as he called it, to take a peek into the girl's locker room at school. Dad had forbidden him of course. Anyway the Viewing Globe Blocker(it had another name but we kept forgetting what it was) had been discovered while Adam was going through the blue prints of the Power Chamber and had found it in some files. The Viewing Globe Blocker could block out any part of Angel Grove. As far as we can tell dad nor Tentomon have never used it and why it was invented we could only guess, Adam also told us that it can be locked and the only way to unlock it was to put in the password.

"That only I know." He said with a smile. Tommy was glaring at Blue Elf and Adam. Adam spoke up.

"Tommy, Amy's worried about Zordon can she help it if she wants to check up on him and Alpha? Besides all of us are worried as well, we haven't received any word whatsoever on their state or whether they're alright. And with Alpha snapping at us every time we ask him and Dimitria.....I'm not going to go into that. The point is we want to check up on our friends. So we're going behind Dimitria's back, what is she going to do? Ground us? Lecture us?" He gave a snort.

"I don't think so." I was surprised at hearing Adam talk about Dimitria like this, but then again her constantly asking questions instead of answering......I was glad to hear that I wasn't the only one that didn't like our new mentor or the new assistant. Anyway while we had been talking Dex had been busy concentrating until a crystal appeared on his forehead, after a few moments it glowed, a beam shot out from his forehead and like a movie, projected an image. King Lexian showed up and looked surprised to see the Power Rangers around his grandson.

"Hello Power Rangers." He said with a dip of his head.

"Hello King Lexian." We all said back to him. Dex had opened his eyes at the sound of his grandfather's voice and a look of delight was on his face.

"Grandfather." Lexian smiled at Dex then looked around at the rest of us, me in particular. Feeling strangely self conscious I hid the hand that had the ring that Dex had given me a while ago, behind my back. _I wonder if Dex has already told his grandfather that we plan to wed. _My stomach squirmed uncomfortably. _I haven't even told mom about the ring. _I glanced away guilty, thinking of how mom would be upset.....

"Why did you summon me?" asked Lexian. I stepped forward and it just occurred to me there was a possibility that Lexian didn't know about me being dad's daughter. _Dad did say that he kept the whole thing of me and mom under wraps._ I cleared my throat and told him the reason we asked Dex to summon him. After I had finished the others spoke up as well, telling the king that we were all worried and just wanted to see if our friends were alright. King Lexian smiled at us and to my relief said that dad and Tento were just fine, their services were of a big help to the edinoites, Lexian was sure that they would win the war in no time. I smiled pleased and all feelings of anxiety and dread lowered within me.

"Thank you King Lexian, that's all that we wanted to hear." said Tommy with a smile.

"Is there anyway that we can speak to them?" I asked. Lexian shook his head saying that transferring contact was not possible. All of our faces fell.

"But I could pass on your message to Zordon and Alpha and if they have any messages then I'll make sure that you'll receive it." Grins broke out on all of our faces and we began to talk to him all at once. Lexian looked a bit bewildered and at the same time Dex was trying to get all of us to calm down, after a few minutes we all quieted down and apologized to Lexian.

"Its quite alright." he said with a chuckle.

"Dex was the same way after being on earth for a few days." Dex shuffled his feet a bit. Lexian cleared his throat then began to ask us one at time what our messages were. Even though we were impatient to have each of our own messages heard, we took turns giving them to Lexian. After we were done he had promised that he would pass the messages along to dad and Tentomon. Then after giving us a warm smile, telling Dex that he was glad that he had made such good and loyal friends and that he was looking forward to seeing him once again in person, Lexian vanished. Dex stared at the spot where his grandfather had stood, a look of longing on his face. I put my arms around him and hugged Dex, he turned his head toward me and smiled.

"Thanks." he said.

"No, thank you Dex and don't worry you'll be back on Edenio someday. " Dex clasped my hand in his own and gave it a squeeze.

"Thanks Amy. I–I'm glad that you're here with me." It took me a long time to figure out the real meaning of his words.

"No prob." I said as the others began to crowd around us thanking Dex. After a brief kiss, he got into his car and drove off. We were summoned to the Power Chamber, and at first we all thought that we were going to get yelled at for tricking A-6 and putting up a Blocker around my house but instead we were told of a monster attack, so Adam, Kat, Tommy, Justin and I all morphed and proceeded to kick the monster's butt. It was only later after we arrived back at the Power Chamber after destroying the monster, that the yelling started. A-6 went into this rant about how was he supposed to keep an eye on us when the place where we were all gathered was blocked from his view, and what the heck did Adam do? And why did that Adam put a lock on the Blocker? We could have been in danger and not even know it. How was he supposed to give us all fair warning if a surprise attack came down on us? We let A-6 yell at us, I was leaning against the control panel, pretending that I was listening, and pretending that I cared. The others, were, I'm pretty sure, the same way. We all looked up and stood at attention when Dimitria asked us why we had the house blocked. We tried to think of an excuse that sounded believable.

"The house was in a really bad shape." I said, the others nodded in agreement, Justin was looking at us curiously.

"And we....um...we...we...um..." Adam spoke up rescuing me with

"We were missing Zordon so much that we kept thinking that he was up here instead of you," Kat piped up.

"And Zordon is always treating us like little kids and telling us to brush our teeth and all that, so....so...since Amy is," I gave her a nudge with my elbow.

"So since Amy was home when the house was messed up, we didn't want to get in trouble, because Zordon would have yelled at us for not being neat and tidy and all that." Adam nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, so that's why we had the Viewing Globe blocked on Amy's house, because we didn't want the mess to be seen." We all gave Dimitria innocent looks, she looked at us for a full minute. _Funny, I don't feel the least bit guilty telling a lie right to Dimitria's face. But she isn't exactly an authority figure._

"Is the mess cleaned up now?" asked Dimitria. I nodded.

"Oh yeah the house is all spic and span now."

"Is that right?" sneered A-6. "Okay, just one more question: who was that boy that you were getting all cozy with outside of your house?" snapped A-6, his hands were still balled into fists. _I have never seen an Alpha unit so angry._

"Oh, that was my boyfriend." I said. I was irritated that A-6 saw Dex and I sharing a moment, which was supposed to be private. _Dad never looked in on me whenever I went out on a date._ I paused then thought. _Did he?_ Justin looked surprised. "He came by to help, it was kind of a really big job and since he was in the neighborhood, I called him and asked him to come over." The others all nodded their agreement. It wasn't exactly a lie. Dimitria seemed to believe us, but A-6, was still skeptical and he kept saying that we had no reason to block my house from the Viewing Globe.

"Unless you're hiding something from us." I laughed, hoping that my laugh didn't give anything away and sounded believable. But I felt a moment of panic. _Lexian couldn't possibly have told A-6 about us contacting him could he? No of course not, Lexian would have said something to us. _

"Hiding something? Why would we hide anything from you guys?" I laughed again. Justin was asking Kat something and I heard her answer.

"She's had a boyfriend for quite some time."

"Oh, she never told me that she had a boyfriend." I turned to him.

"The subject never came up." I gave a shrug of my shoulders. Adam was busy at the controls and removing the Blocker, after doing that we all teleported out of the Power Chamber.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry this took so long, I've had a case of writer's block.**

Chapter 8

"We shouldn't have lied to them."

"Tommy, we didn't have a choice."

"What do you mean that we didn't have a choice? We could have told them about Dex, King Lexian......."

"That's Dex's call, not ours. Besides Amy doesn't want them to know about Dex being a super hero and our ally."

"Still its not right. Zordon chose Dimitria to _advise_ the Ranger Team in his absence."

"Yeah, but all she's ever done is get on our nerves, Alpha is no better."

"Just because the both of them don't do much to help us doesn't mean that we should keep secrets from them."

"I didn't see _you_ tell Dimitria what really went on here."

"Are you sure that they're not listening into our conversation right now?"

"Not to worry Kat, Amy's put a sound proof shield over us, Dimitria and Mr. Rude can't hear us."

"Hey Amy, how can you produce a shield like this?"

"Well, Adam. Actually this isn't my doing its Billy's. He told me that he invented this a really really long time ago. Its purpose is, when activated, the person is surrounded by a sound proof shield and anyone that's outside the shield can't hear a word that you are saying."

"Ingenious." I grinned.

"Very."

"He must have used it when he had to morph inside his house while his folks were home."

"Yeah, but I wonder why he never told us about it?"

"Probably he was still testing it and forgot about it with everything that happened."

"People! Can we redirect the conversation back to our wrong doing?"

"What 'wrong doing?' Seriously Tommy let it go already. So we told a little white lie to our new mentor. So what? What's she going to do Tommy? Really what is she going to do? She's not exactly Zordon is she?"

"She may not be Zordon, but she deserves our respect and honesty. Alpha too, even though....both of them do get my nerves every now and then."

"Try all the time man!"

"Yeah Tommy, all those questions and all those rude comments. Makes you want to take a screwdriver to A-6 and start twisting some bolts!"

"That actually sounds gross Amy."

"And you have our former master to thank sis."

"Look all I'll am saying is that we should try to be honest with Dimitria from now on. She could be making a report and send it to Zordon and he'll be very disappointed in us."

"She's making a report to send to dad!!"

"Amy calm down! I only said....."

"What if Dimitria tells dad about all of those cracks that I made about her and A-6? What if dad tells her that Dex is the Masked Rider? What if he tells her that I'm his daughter? She'll probably think that I with held this info just to spite her just because she replaced dad!"

"Nice going Tommy, you just hit Short Stuff's panic button."

"What if she finds out that I used to be an agent of Zedd's, she'll probably think that I'm in league with Divatox and have me kicked off the team!"

"Amy that's ridiculous! Zordon would never tell her any of those things _and_ Dimitria would _never _think that way about you. Just because you used to be evil doesn't make you a part of Divatox's team."

"Yeah, Short stuff, I mean sure you used to be under the thumb of Zedd but look how far you've come. You totally kicked his butt and then some. After everything that you've done so far to redeem yourself because of what Zedd did with your powers and what he made you do."

"Yeah, it would be the most stupidest thing to say and think. She wouldn't dare say that, because if she does then....we'll contact Zordon and ask him to choose another mentor."

"You guys would do that for me?"

"Sure we would Short Stuff. You're our best bud and fellow ranger and no one insults our friend and gets away with it."

"Thanks you guys."

"We're glad to help Ames." Tommy turned to me.

"So did Kim return you phone call?"

"Yeah, she did. She asked a whole bunch of questions about how we contacted him and his and Tentomon's well being and was I alright?"

"Why should she ask that?"

"Well....she knows that I lost both of my earth parents to war and since dad is the only parent that I have....she'll think that I'll totally lose it if something happens to him." The others looked at me, I didn't look at them I just kept staring straight ahead. The thought of losing my father to war....it was just too much to think about. I constantly worried that, since he was out of the tube that he had been imprisoned him for so long, he was vulnerable to a fatal attack. While in his tube dad had been safe from any and all attacks and assaults from our enemies. _And now_...... Most nights I would dream about the war on Edenio and dream that dad was in trouble, injured, captured or being tortured. I would wake up drenched in sweat, leap out of my bed and begin to teleport to the Power Chamber and force A-6 to have me teleported to Edenio to help out. I wanted to............but I didn't. I was afraid of what I would see if I teleported to Edenio, I was afraid because I thought that one of my worst fears would come to pass: Seeing my father dead with Count Dregon standing over him laughing. _It would just be like mom's death._ I closed my eyes briefly as I remembered. _I wouldn't be able to stand it if that happened again._

"Shortstuff you have to believe that nothing is going to happen to Zordon, he promised us that if he or Alpha got into some serious trouble, then they would call us. Their backs are being watched by Lexian and his army, plus Zordon has his powers, there is no way that he can be taken down easy." Blue Elf was right, dad was powerful, and he knew his enemy pretty well which made him a match for Dregon's forces. _Surely he'll be alright, surely I've got nothing to worry about._ Still the fear of seeing him taken down by Dregon still stayed with me.

It had been a busy week for the Power Rangers, especially for Justin. Divatox seemed to turn her attention on him, but despite getting into scraps with Piranhatrons, Elgar and a couple of monsters plus a homicidal bike,(_and that still cracks me up)_ the kid seemed to cope pretty well.

"It adds to the excitement of being a super powerful Ranger." he said with shining eyes. I glanced at him worriedly. _Well, at least he isn't _looking_ for trouble._ I thought. _Still_....it _is _nice _to have someone else be on the baddie's radar....even if it is for a while. _Even though I felt guilty that Justin was going through what I went through(albeit to a lesser degree) still it felt kind of nice not to be at the center of trouble. Speaking of which, we haven't seen hide now hair of Goldar or that guy that killed those Piranhatrons in a while. But I still kept my eyes and my ears open. _You never know. _Every time I thought of that guy that I had battled, I couldn't help but think that his fighting skills seemed awfully familiar.....

Oh, I almost forgot. We have a new team member. The Blue Centurion. He's a police officer from another galaxy, he came to Earth bearing a message of great importance to the Power Rangers and Dimitria. Unfortunately Divatox got to him before we did and erased the message. _I swear we need to set up an alarm system that lets us know when guys like these are going to come crashing down on our city. _As we got to know the Blue Centurion, I looked him over with a cocked head, _seriously where do these guys come from? And why do they land in Angel Grove? There are plenty of other cities out there plenty of other towns_, _which would jump at a chance to have a real live alien drop right on their front door. Maybe Blue Elf was right and Angel Grove is a magnet for all of the weirdos that come here_. _Now that would explain a lot._

The Blue Senturion....amazingly, went unnoticed in Angel Grove. The dude could just walk down the street and no one, I mean _no one _batted an eye. Blue Elf pegged it down to:

"A lot of weird stuff happens in Angel Grove that it's become a regular everyday type of thing." _Angel Grove sure as changed. _I thought to myself as I limped down the street._ Its good that everyone, when they see an alien, don't immediately think that he's evil and wants to destroy the earth. _Dex was amazed when he heard this, he was excited that the Blue Senturion had been accepted by the people of Angel Grove.

"In a way, I feel...more free, know what I mean Amy?" I had stared at him. Then I shook my head.

"Oh, right," he said with an embarrassed smile. "I forgot that you were raised to think that you were an earthling." He cleared his throat then began to explain how humans saw aliens as merely invaders, murders and abductors, beings to be looked at with suspicion and fear and sometimes...hatred. Dex has often wondered if humans will ever realize that not _all_ aliens come to earth just to destroy it, kidnap its people and preform horrible experiments on them.

"Right now, they know that there are both good aliens and bad aliens out there in space, even though the people of earth are still _trying_ to figure out _why_ the bad aliens keep on attacking Angel Grove and try to destroy it, that doesn't matter in the slightest right now! Because we are now being accepted!!" He picked me up and swung me around. As he set me down on my feet, he grinned at me.

"And its all thanks to the Blue Senturion." I gave him a small smile in return even though I still didn't understand. The Blue Senturion wasn't the only good alien to walk around in the open,_ Cestro once took a walk with me to the cemetery asking questions about the matters of talking to a dead loved one and he had asked me if mom had ever answered me back. _While we had been walking, several people had passed us, had turned and stared at Cestro. A couple of kids had walked up to him and exclaimed that he had a really cool costume. _Okay so everyone, thought that he was a guy in a costume, but no one had acted surprised when they saw him._ _I'm quite sure that the people in Angel Grove think that the Blue Senturion is just another guy in a costume. Better not tell Dex though, I don't want to burst his bubble._ It came to me as a surprise to hear Dex talking like this. _Has he been feeling ostracized because aliens are cast in a bad light and never in a good light_? _Is it because aliens, that come from different galaxies, come to earth mainly to destroy it or to enslave its people? And he feels that the people of earth just see aliens as evil? That's ridiculous! There have been movies about aliens that come to earth to protect its people and to help them. And everyone knows that when there are bad aliens, there are also good aliens just like people. _A startling though hit me. _Is this what he really meant when he told me that, when he found out that I was an alien, he didn't feel so alone anymore?_ I looked up at Dex as I limped beside him. _Just because I happen to be another alien that also battles bad aliens that attempt to take over earth? _Anger rose with in me._ Is that all that I am to him?_ As if sensing my anger, Dex stopped and tugged me down so that we sat on a piece of dried grass in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Amy, I just want to let you know that I don't see you as simply another good alien who fights for the earth. I see someone whom I can share all of doubts and fears with, I can relate to you about my days as a slave to Count Dregon and about my ongoing battles to free my people. I can tell you so much Amy that sometimes I feel as if you were an Edenoite instead of an Eltarian. We've both been slaves to cruel masters, we're both orphans and we both have powers that were given to us by our parents that we use to fight off evil and protect the people that we love. I....I'm really glad that I met you." His voice cracked a bit and he swallowed hard. I looked at him, my heart filled with emotion and my anger draining away. _That's right, the both of us have shared so much because we've been through so much._ He turned back to me.

"And I also see a person whom I want to spend the rest of my life with." I only smiled, too overwhelmed with words as we leaned our heads together and our lips met in a long kiss.

**I know I know not my best work but I needed an opening for the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Even though I've been giving the others advice on how to avoid Divatox's traps and finding solutions for problems concerning unbeatable monsters(with a little help from A-6) for quite some time now, I kept thinking that I was going to make a mistake and led my friends to their downfall or get them seriously hurt. I told all of this to Kim and she reassured me(first she called me crazy) that I wouldn't ever steer the other rangers wrong.

"All of your advice that you gave us to avoid traps set up by Lord Zedd were right on the money. Thanks to you, we survived everything that he threw at us. Don't doubt yourself now. You're doing such a great job. The others have told me that you reminded them of Zordon a couple of times." A warm glow filled me that spread throughout my entire body.

"Really? They said that?"

"Yeah they did." To be praised like that and to say I was just like my father....well it felt nice, more than nice. I have always been afraid of having nothing in common with dad other than we came from the planet Eltar and that we had the same enemies but to hear the others say that I reminded them of him, it made me more closer to him then ever. _Oh, I wish I had been there when they said that._ I kept the warm glow with me while I continued to chat with Kim, after I hung up, made dinner for me and Kat and it still stayed with me long after I went to bed that night.

As it turned out Justin, Dimitria and A-6 had a lot of questions concerning how I knew so much about Divatox's plans and how to avoid them. I only laughed and said.

"I've been fighting evil aliens for a while now, so I know how they think." _Not really a lie, but not really the truth either._ I thought as I limped to the Youth Center after that short meeting, I stopped in the doorway and looked toward the tables where my friends and I used to sit sharing jokes, food and drinks. Right now another group of kids sat there drinking and laughing. The others had after school jobs to go to or extra classes to sit in. I only worked at my job three days a week and even though I had school, fighting Divatox and work....I felt lonely. The others didn't have a lot of time on their hands like they used too so the only time that we spent together was when we were called to fight a monster._ Never knew how lonely it was without my friends. _I still expected to see Kat at her old locker or see Adam walk through the door of my English class. _This is just like the time when Kim left, I still expected her to be here. _I knew that I would get accustomed to this, _just like I got accustomed to all the changes in my life._

One day Divatox pulled of a plan that _actually_ worked! _Either she can actually think up plans like these or.....she had some outside help. _Kat had teleported to the Power Chamber in a panic.

"They've got him! They've got Tommy!" She had contacted the rest of us and had related what had happened. Kat had scratches on the back of her arms and a couple on her face, they were bleeding. Adam quickly went to the medical table, opened up a drawer and pulled out the medical kit. He then returned and with a couple of cotton balls wiped up the blood then began to clean the scratches with alcohol. Kat winced and squirmed away from him.

"We were driving in the desert and then we heard a big boom, there was smoke and I swear to you guys, I swear on my life, I saw Tengu Warriors!!" We all gasped. The Tengu Warriors had not been seen or sighted on Earth for quite some time, hearing that the they were making an appearance could mean that Goldar was back in town. Justin was asking about Goldar. Adam pulled him aside and explained who Goldar was. Justin looked at him. A look of excitement on his face.

"This dude sounds like he may even be more powerful than old Elgar." I raised an eyebrow, the others stared at him. _Old Elgar? The kid sounds as if Goldar is a new playmate, and he's looking forward to meeting.. I pray to God that they never do. _I turned to Kat and asked her to continue. She said that a monster appeared, she and Tommy had leaped out of the car to confront it when the Tengus leaped on to them and shoved their faces into the dirt.

"We tried to fight them off but they seemed more powerful than the last time we faced them. They began to scratch me and I heard Tommy give an angry yell then it turned to a pained yell." Kat was struggling to fight back her tears. She took a couple of deep breaths and went on even though it looked as if she didn't even want to think about what had happened next.

"I managed to twist my head a little and saw that Tommy was fighting as hard as he could against the Tengus then the monster...walked toward Tommy...and he....he...." Kat began to cry. I must have stopped breathing because it felt as if my heart had stopped.The entire Power Chamber was filled with shocked silence, then after what seemed like days Adam, who had finished cleaning the scratches and had now stepped back to look at Kat full in the face, asked in a quiet voice.

"What happened next Kat?" Kat was still cry unable to speak. All of us wanted to scream at her to snap out of it, Adam looked about ready to shake her, finally she looked up and told us that the monster tore his claws into Tommy's back. Justin stared at Kat, Adam stiffened, I let out a gasp.

"I'm not sure how deep it went but Tommy stopped moving and I saw the monster drag him away." She broke down again. I continued to stare at her my mind playing the images that she described and began to feel sick. _Tommy he can't be....no! He can't! _Suddenly I turned on A-6 anger coursing through me.

"Why didn't you alert us? Did you see all of this happening and failed to contact us? Is this just a way to get back at us for..."

"No! Of coarse not! We were trying to contact you but something was blocking the signal, we couldn't get through!" A-6 suddenly sounded bitter.

"Do you even believe me since I'm, what did you call me? Oh yes, rude and useless?" I ignored the last part.

"I believe you A-6, this isn't the first time that the communication signal was blocked." I turned back to the others my mind going into overdrive over the possibilities of where Tommy could be. Kat had stopped crying was now sniffing, Adam again walked over to the medical table and got a box of tissues, he handed the box to Kat who pulled out a tissue and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. Justin had disbelief on his face finally he spoke.

"How can a monster take down Tommy so easy?" Anger rose within me again. Justin continued.

"He's supposed to be invincible, he's the leader. Leaders are always invincible."

"JUSTIN SHUT UP!" screamed Kat. Justin jumped startled, he leapt back and stared at her.

"We are not invincible, we can get hurt when we are ordinary civilians." She spat at him. She whipped her head toward me, her blue eyes flashing with fear and anger.

"Can we find him? He might still be alive." There was a pleading tone in the last part. I glanced behind at A-6.

"Yeah we can find him. A-6 can you see if you can pick up any trace of Tommy and the monster and where they might be?" For once A-6 didn't make a rude remark he turned to the controls and began to check the area, I turned toward Adam.

"Adam, use the heat sensors, they've must have left a trail. It'll probably led us to where they are." Giving me a curt nod Adam walked over to the left side of the control panel and began to push buttons, I turned to Justin.

"Justin I want you to get Kat a glass of water and help her to calm down." Justin teleported out to get what I asked him to. I turned to Kat.

"We'll find him Kat, I promise you." Kat sniffed again then she smiled up at me.

"I know, thanks Amy." I returned her smile at that moment Justin came back with a glass of water and handed it to Kat. She took it with a grateful smile and apologized for yelling him.

"I'm just worried about Tommy that's all and I'm also afraid that Goldar may be back."

"Did you catch a glimpse of Goldar or see him anywhere?" I asked. Kat thought for a minute then she shook her head.

"No, there was too much smoke and the Tengus where everywhere, I really couldn't see a thing." She looked miserable.

"Kat this wasn't your fault, you and Tommy had no idea that this was going to happen, none of us knew that the Tengu Warriors were going to make an appearance but what we can do is be prepared for the next attack, but first we have to find Tommy. All right?" She looked up at me and nodded.

"If Goldar is back, he maybe more powerful than the last time we saw him." said Adam he was still at the controls and looking at the screen scanning the desert for the heat trails. I nodded.

"We might have to use the Power Ranger Power Blast when we met." The other two nodded looking ready to do battle at that very moment. Justin was looking crest fallen.

"How come you guys and Tommy can preform the Power Ranger Power Blast but I can't?" I turned to him. He had seen us fire Blasts at a couple of monster recently.

"Because Zordon was the one that gave us the power to converge our psychical energy and our Power Ranger energy into the Power Ranger Power Blast, he made it so that we could store it within our Power Coins. But it takes a lot of energy to fire a Blast so we have to be very careful how much energy we put into it, it would be hard for you because you might use too much energy which could prove fatal to you."

"But I'm strong enough!" I shook my head.

"I know you are Justin, but you have to have a Power Coin in order to store the energy that comes with the power."

"Then why can you guys preform the Power Blast when you don't have the coins?"

"We did have the Coins but they were destroyed a long time ago, but somehow the ability to preform the Power Blast stayed with us and we have called upon it whenever we needed it."

"Can you transfer it so that I can have it?" I shook my head.

"Sorry it can't be transferable, Zordon told us that it only be given to those with a Power Coin." Justin scowled then he stomped his foot on the ground.

"That's not fair!" I looked down at him. _Funny how that entire lie came to me so fast._ I glanced at Kat, she was trying to hide a smile as she looked at Justin pouting.

"Guys! I got something!" cried Adam. We all rushed to his side and looked at the Viewing Globe. On screen there was heat trails everywhere all going in different directions, but there were two heat trails that were of two distinct colors. One was pink, the other red. Kat was staring at the screen.

"A–are those Tommy's and mine....?" Wordlessly Adam and I nodded. _This is new, the Rangers have their very own color coated heat trail. Mental note: Ask Dad and Tentomon how this is even possible. _

"Can you see where the red trail leads?" I asked Adam. He pushed a few buttons so that we zoomed in a bit then began to follow the red streak that led us a few feet away from the site where Tommy and Kat were attacked, then the trail vanished. Kat let out a gasp, Justin looked up at Adam and I for a moment. Then asked.

"What happened? Why did it disappear? I–is he....? W–was he.....?" I shook my head, a look of pure relief came on his face.

"No, my guess is that they must have teleported somewhere, that's why the trail ended."

"Uh guys? We have a problem." We turned to A-6. He was staring down at a print out in his hand. He lifted up his head and looked at us.

"I found Tommy but it says here that there are two humans outside of the cave where he is being held." I stared at him then turned to Kat.

"I thought you said that you didn't see anybody."

"I _only_ saw the Tengu Warriors and the monster drag him away, I didn't know that a couple of people had seen Tommy being dragged away!"

"Alpha can you bring it on screen?" asked Adam. A-6 did and we all saw the cave and outside of it stood two people. An African American boy and a dark haired girl, they appeared to be arguing.

"A-6 can we hear what they're saying?" A-6 turned back to the controls and brought up the sound.

"I don't know why you even dragged me along T.J., its clearly none of our business." snapped the dark haired girl to the African American boy. T.J. snapped back at her.

"Fine! If you don't want to help this guy that just got dragged into this cave by a bunch of monsters, then leave if you're scared, maybe you'll run into someone who will be of a bigger help than you!" The he turned and ran into the cave! My mouth dropped open. _Does he have any idea what he's going to find in there?_ The girl was staring at the cave, looking as if she were struggling to decide what to do, she spun toward the dessert then stopped, then she turned and stepped toward the cave's entrance, she gave out a frustrated yell and stomped her feet a couple of times.

"T.J.! Wait for me!" She shouted then _she too _ran into the cave! I turned to the others.

"Come on!" All of us morphed and teleported to the cave, then we all ran in. At first we didn't hear anything then as we went deeper we heard shouts and yells, we came to a large room where T.J. and the girl were being beaten up and tossed around the cave by the Piranhatrons, and the monster. Divatox was standing in the middle of it all laughing and gloating, but what got my entire attention was the fact that Tommy was hanging by his wrists over a, what looked like a hole, in the floor. Spotting us Divatox smirked.

"Ha! You're too late rangers, your leader is about to be dropped into the Vortex of Despair and Sorrow! Ha ha ha." _The vortex of Despair and Sorrow huh?_ _Don't think so nut job._ I thought as my friends and I spread out and tried to get to Tommy, T.J. and the girl were being punched and kicked near a wall, Justin sprang toward their aid. After making sure that both of them were fit to stand up, he told them to get out the cave and to let the super heroes take care of everything. Both humans took off and found cover behind a boulder and watched as we battled. None of us even saw the candle that was burning the rope, that bound Tommy, that was attached to the wall. _Blast it! Tommy's in danger and I can't use my powers._ I thought as I went into several spin kicks, tornado kicks, high and low kicks and uppercuts knocking away the Piranhatrons that leaped into my face. The monster was racing toward me, I saw it leap over Adam who was on the ground. I raced at him, the candle's flame had nearly burnt through the rope, it gave a shudder. Tommy cried out. The candle burnt the last strand of rope, he let out a yell as he plummeted toward the vortex, suddenly with a jerk, his fall was stopped! Turning his head as best as he could, he caught sight of T.J. straining to hold onto the rope! The girl was also pulling as well, they strained and pulled, and Tommy went up a few inches.

"Get those two away from the rope!" We all heard Divatox scream, we all turned in time to see T.J. and the girl being surrounded by Piranhatrons! They began to kick and punch them, T.J. went down but his hand was still around the rope, the girl cried out and yelled as she was back handed in the face and kicked, she fell on her knees coughing. We all ran toward them, Kat was screaming Tommy's name and Divatox was laughing as more Piranhatrons swopped onto us and blocked us, Tommy gave out a yell as he plunged one foot but then stopped as T.J. began to fight while straining to hold onto the rope, kicking away Piranhatrons. I stopped and stared at Tommy._ Kimberly will never forgive me if something happens to him._

"Power Rangers form up!" I shouted. Kat and Adam stopped fighting and had spun to face me then ran so that we were standing in a line, Adam facing Divatox and her round of Piranhatrons, while Kat and I faced the two people and their Piranhatrons, Elgar and the monster. All of them stopped and stared as I gave a command: "Rangers, Power up and fire!" We all powered up, the heels of our hands touching, power visibly glowing and forming into energy.

"What the?" said Elgar. Divatox was staring at us.

"Power Ranger Power Blast!" We all shouted letting it all fly, Divatox screamed as she teleported away at the last second before the blast hit her, the Piranhatrons weren't so lucky, they were reduced to dust. The other Piranhatrons and the monster were quickly destroyed and Elgar had taken off, the cave was empty except for my friends, T.J. and the girl and Tommy. Without even wasting a second Kat leapt up, I concentrated on her, she floated in the air next to Tommy and cut him loose. Then with their arms around each other, they landed on the ground beside the rest of us. Justin was stunned.

"Wow! I didn't know you could do that, K—uh....Pink Ranger." Tommy glanced at me. Kat turned to Justin.

"Well....we _can _do that.....just not very often." The girl and boy were both staring at us. Adam turned toward them and extended out a hand. The boy took it and they shook.

"Thanks for your help." Adam said.

"No problem." said T.J.. The girl was jumping up and down.

"That was so cool."

"All in a days work." said Justin while striking a little pose. I rolled my eyes. Tommy seemed to be having trouble standing up, he blinked blearily and looked at the both of them.

"Thank you for saving me. What are your names anyway?"

"My name's T.J. and you're welcome."

"And I'm Cassie." The three of them shook hands, then thanking them once again, the rest of us teleported to the Power Chamber to tend to Tommy's injuries, while instructing Justin to take T.J. and Cassie to Angel Grove. Justin nodded, then teleported, with T.J. and Cassie, in tow. Tommy collapsed on his knees.

"Tommy!" Kat helped him up. I went toward him.

"Are you alright?" asked Adam. Tommy shook his head, all of saw that his face was pale. Looking down we saw that he was bleeding from the side, Kat lifted up the arm that had been around Tommy's shoulders and gasped. _Blood!_

"Oh my god Tommy! How could have we let this happen?"

"Kat don't worry, it'll be alright. I'll fix up Tommy in a jiffy." I started to reach toward him, my hand glowing when Tommy stopped me. He shook his head.

"Amy, you can't Dimitria...she'll see, she's probably watching us." I scowled. _Great._ It was a real pain not being able to use my powers when they were needed. _Oh, well. At least I used them to help my friends and if she asks any questions we could just say that since dad is an eltarian, he lent us some of his power to us. _I voiced this to Tommy while we were helping him up, he looked uneasy then he firmly shook his head.

"I don't want us to lie to them anymore than we have to." I opened my mouth to protest but Adam reminded me that Dimitria and A-6 could be making up a report to send to dad on our progress of fighting Divatox and on our relationship with the two of them. I sighed then nodded. With an arm around Tommy and helping Kat support him, Adam and the rest of us teleported to the Power Chamber. As soon as we got there we led Tommy over to the medical table and laid him down it. The medical kit was already out and open, ready to tend to wounds and help along in the healing process, Adam helped Tommy by making him comfortable and removing his shirt (_wow!)_ so that he could look at the damage.I averted my eyes asAdam tended to Tommy's wounds. I limped over to the control panel and checked on Justin. _He should had been back by now. _Kat was standing beside Tommy and helping out but looking sick at the sight of blood. _Huh, she didn't seem to have a problem when she saw me covered in blood when Goldar went into my cage to punish me._ I thought, I turned back to the screen. Justin came back while Tommy was getting a bit of a rest. We decided to leave him alone until he was up to telling us what had went on, while Tommy was sent home we asked Justin about T.J. and Cassie. He reported that the both of them only had some minor cuts and bruises and that they should be fine in a few days.

"They also wanted to know about Tommy, whether he was okay."

"We'll send them a message telling them that Tommy is recovering." I said. Adam and Kat both nodded. A moment passed where Justin wanted to know how badly Tommy had been hurt, we assured him that Tommy was going to be okay after a day of rest. Justin was relieved that Tommy was going to be alright. Kat was more relieved than Justin and teleported to be at his side.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Tommy are you absolutely sure that you didn't see Goldar?"

"How many times do I have to tell you Amy? No I didn't see him, I only saw the Tengu Warriors when they surrounded us and the monster, I didn't see Goldar. When I woke up the Tengus were gone." I frowned.

"They didn't say anything about Goldar or when he's going to be showing up?" He scowled at me.

"I was _unconscious_ Amy, I _couldn't hear_ anything!" He snapped.

"Okay Tommy no need to bite my head off, just getting all the facts that's all." Kat had her arm around his shoulders and was looking at me reproachfully.

"Really Amy, Tommy can't answer any questions right now, he barely remembers what happened as it is."

"Okay, I won't ask anymore questions." I said irritably. Tommy looked at me.

"By the way Amy. What are we doing here at the cemetery?" We were sitting at the picnic table, near the cemetery, I thought that this would be a good place to discuss what had happened yesterday and try to figure out if Goldar was going to make an appearance anytime soon.

"I thought that this would be a good place to talk about what happened, it's a good place to think." I glanced at my friends.

"At least it is for me." They frowned at me and I suddenly thought if they were still feeling guilty over not being able to save my earth parents. _Still...its peaceful here_, _my mother and my step-dad are here and so is Aisha, maybe they'll help us in figuring out what's going on._ Kat shifted in her seat. Adam looked at me.

"So, any theories Amy? On why this happened and why the Tengus handed Tommy over to Divatox and not delivered him to Goldar?"

"Well I've got a couple. My first theory is that what happened yesterday could be just a check up on the Turbo Rangers."

"A check up?" said Adam looking over at me, he was sitting on the picnic table, Tommy and Kat both glanced at each other.

"Yup, a check up."

"For what?" asked Kat.

"For several reasons: One is that they just wanted to see if _we_ were still the Power Rangers. Two would be, if we _did_ hand over the role of Power Rangers to a whole new team then that would be an okay sign for Goldar to return to earth."

"And do what?" I glared at Tommy.

"To invite us over for tea, to track us down and kill us what do you think Tommy!! If we are not the Power Rangers anymore then we will be easy targets." Tommy looked startled.

"But he never could destroy us, even as Rangers he could barley touch us, even after Aisha died, sure we got a few hits but our suits always protected us and you would always heal our injuries." I glanced skyward, wondering if Dimitria was listening and also asking for patience.

"We've got the Power Blast as well, we'll be able to keep him back even if we can't morph." chimed in Kat.

"No, guys don't you get it? The Power Blast won't be enough to keep him back, he's got the Tengu Warriors, and Zedd's staff, which still has the power that he stole from me. Now all of that power in Goldar's hands makes him very dangerous, plus he could be able to deflect any Power Blast that we throw at him." _Or absorb it and throw it back at us. _I shuddered as I remembered firing a Power Blast at Zedd, who had absorbed it within his staff and had sent it flying back toward me.

"B-but he can't possibly know how to use the staff. Only Zedd could use the staff." Tommy shook his head.

"You'd be surprised Adam who could wield what." he told us about the time where he had used Goldar's sword to transport himself out of Zedd's Dark Dimensions. Kat spoke up, after some hesitation, when Goldar used Rita's staff to recast the spell on her. After a moment of silence, everyone turned to look at me. I looked at them for a moment and blinked. I shook my head.

"I never wield my former master's staff or Goldar's. I was terrified of them remember?" Adam shifted uncomfortably on the table, he turned his head away and look toward Aisha's marker.

"What is your other theory?"

"My other theory is pretty much the same thing, only that he must have heard that a new baddie was in town and, as everyone knows, when there's a new baddie in town, that means that it's time for an upgrade. He might have just sent the Tengus to capture Tommy, just so that he could see the Turbo Rangers in action. Try to determine how strong we've become with our new powers and try to figure out if we had any weaknesses." The others were staring at me. I gave a shrug of my shoulders.

"I just want us to be prepared for what may happen." I suddenly thought of Justin, the boy was only thirteen, but....._he may be a kid and a rookie but that probably won't stop Goldar._ I couldn't help but remember the things that Zedd did to me when I was fifteen. I winced, remembering the pain that I went through. Adam looked at me.

"S–shouldn't Justin be here? I mean he is part of the team." I thought about it, glancing at Tommy, who looked back at me. I nodded.

"Yes he should be told, he could face Goldar and not know what he can really do. We shou;d warn Justin that under no circumstances Goldar should be faced alone, tell Justin to call for back up. Alright?" Adam nodded and I was surprised to see that Tommy was smiling at me.

"What?" I asked him. Tommy was still smiling.

"You're acting more and more like your dad everyday Ames." A warm feeling went through me as Kat and Adam nodded.

Adam told us later that he had told Justin while the rest of us went to the Power Chamber and tried to set up an alarm system so we would know when Goldar arrived on earth. A-6 and Dimitria wanted to know the full history on Goldar, so while Tommy and Kat where explaining, I finished setting up the alarm, then I began to try to figure out how to put alarms around my sister, Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy(he said that he would keep an eye out but was doubtful that Goldar would come after him) and the rest of my earth family. I made a mental note to contact Billy and ask him how to put alarm systems around people.

"Do you really think that he'll go after the former rangers?" asked Tommy a worried look on his face.

"Possibly, they were part of the team that fought against Zedd and Rita. So he _might_ go after them just to hurt us...." I thought back to the day that my earth parents died, _that had hurt me in more ways than one._ Tommy said that he would call Kim and the others and tell them to be on the alert if Goldar ever showed up in their towns. I would keep an eye on my step brothers and sisters, _it's doubtful but....._ I turned to Tommy and suggested that he and Adam step up Justin's training and that all of us should follow suit.

"We have to make time to train harder and as much as possible, we need to be prepared in case another attack by the Tengu Warriors or by Goldar himself, is launched."

Several weeks passed and we never saw hide nor hair of the Tengu Warriors, within or around Angel Grove. Despite our concerns for the safety of our friends and families, we received word that they hadn't sighted Goldar nor the Tengus. But other than bringing me a sense of relief that Goldar must have seen how strong we've become and taken off to the other end of the galaxy to leave us in peace(which was something that I wished with all of my heart) I knew that he was still around, possibly invisible or in disguise so he can watch us and try to figure out the exact time to attack us unexpectedly. We were training each and every day, sometimes before school, or work and we were training after school and work as well. I made sure that we didn't tire ourselves out too much or we would too tired to be ready for an attack and we still had Divatox to deal with. Later in the week I suggested that we use the time that we used to fight Divatox's monsters and henchmen, to practice our new skills. To which Justin and the others gladly obliged and would send monsters and henchmen flying. The baddies were surprised that we were more stronger than ever and I'm pretty sure were questioning Divatox and her plan to destroy the Power Rangers. I saw all of this as nothing more than practice for the real battle which, I felt, was going to begin soon. _I just hope that it doesn't have any causalities._ I was rather looking forward to facing Goldar again, I was getting tired of looking over my shoulder and jumping at the sound of rustling leaves which, mostly turned out to be the wind, and not Tengu Warrior feathers. I was also looking forward to the end of my ranger duties and days and settling down and resuming a normal life, I would often joke around with the others that I so out of touch with the whole "living a normal life" routine that I would have to go to school to be taught not to "jump at shadows and think that, just because nothing out of the ordinary is happening, doesn't mean that _something out of the ordinary is going to happen_". The others would smile and chuckle and tell me that they would teach me how to be "normal" again. Justin stared at me.

"You want to go back to being normal? Its unbelievably boring." I turned to him and narrowed my eyes. I always had a hunch that the only reason that Justin jumped at the chance to be a Power Ranger was because he was bored. _And it looks as if I was right._ He shook his head at me.

"I would always _want_ to be a Power Ranger, in fact there's nothing more exciting or fun as morphing, driving cars that turn into zords and fighting evil aliens." He sat back with a satisfactory sigh.

"Oh, and being all powerful and unbeatable is the best thing that has ever happened to me, do you really want to give that all up?" I stared at him, shocked that he could say such things, that he could _think_ such things. _All powerful? Certainly not! If we were all powerful, Aisha would still be alive, and I would have been able to save my mother and step-father. Unbeatable? Well, yes.....but we _can't _win every battle. There are some personal battles that we have lost. _The others wore the same expressions that I was wearing, it took a moment for us to shake ourselves out of our shock and start to address Justin about showing a bit of humility and that we are not all powerful, there have been some battles that we have lost. But Justin shook his head, saying that he really didn't believe that the Power Rangers were even capable of losing _any_ battles.

"We've got all of this Power, the suits and the zords plus Dimitria on our side....how can we possibly lose?" _Where.....is.........he.......getting.....this? Even _I _knew that I wasn't that all powerful when I first started out_. I began to wonder if Justin would ever be convinced that we weren't all powerful, that we weren't invincible, that we can get hurt, we can be beaten._ When is he going to realize that we are only human?_

A few days later while limping toward the Youth Center to finish up some homework and looking forward to end a week long craving for a mango smoothie, who should I see talking to right next to the Juice Bar but Justin, Cassie and T.J. My first thought was that, having recognized Cassie and T.J. from a few days ago and how they had helped us rescue Tommy from Divatox, he had seen them and greeted them like two old friends, when in reality they were strangers and _have never met before!!_ I limped passed all three of them as I made my way to the Bar, and ordered my drink from Ernie. Justin, I was glad to realize, didn't see me and kept up chattering with T.J. and Cassie. My drink came, thinking it best to hide myself so as not to be seen and get drawn into an awkward conversation, I attempted to slip out of the Youth Center quietly and unnoticed.

"Hey Amy! Look who I found!" Justin's cry reached my ears. I cringed, then turning slowly around and fixing a smile on my face as I limped over to his table. Justin grinned up at me, Cassie was looking at the floor at my feet frowning slightly, T.J. smiled in a friendly way at me.

"Oh, hey Justin. Who are your two new friends?" I asked. Justin blinked.

"Amy, don't you remember? This two helped us—" But before he could finish, my hand shot out and I smacked him on the top of his head. He glared at me.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"Nothing I thought I saw a fly buzzing around that head of yours." I said while at the same time giving him a look that plainly said _We weren't there, remember? _He seemed to get the message, after a moment he said

"These are the two that helped the Power Rangers rescue Tommy." I fixed a look of surprise on my face, extending out my hand and shaking it I explained that Tommy had told us all about his ordeal with our resident nutjob.

"You mean Divatox?" asked T.J. I nodded.

"I want to thank you for helping the Power Rangers save my best friend, and I think if they could tell you in person, the Rangers would thank you too." Cassie smiled at me.

"You're welcome."

"Hey, no prob. I would never turn my back on someone who was in trouble."said T.J. I smiled again, then after chatting with them for a few more minutes I began to make my way out of the Youth Center when Cassie called out to me.

"What happened to your ankle?"

"Oh, I twisted it while trying to learn how to roller blade." I saw Justin open his mouth but I sent him another look and he closed it. I gave all three of them a smile and a wave then exited the Youth Center and headed toward the courtyard. After finishing my homework and drink I went back inside the school to look for Justin and have a small talk with him. I was beginning to doubt Blue Elf's choice of having Justin be his replacement. _The boy is too eager to head into battle and he thinks he's invincible and all powerful and that we will be there to bail him out whenever he gets into serious trouble. _Which, I am glad to say, has never happened. _He needs to learn to stop thinking like this, it's going to get him killed someday. Where in blazes is he? _I looked around the Youth Center, I didn't see Justin or the other two. I gave a sigh, and was thinking that the communicators _should have _come with a tracking device. I limped up to the Juice Bar again and waited for Ernie to finish with a customer then asked him where Justin had gone.

"Justin? He took off with his two new friends just a little while ago, all three of them seemed really excited." I thanked Ernie then limped out of the Youth Center, thinking that I could just call Justin later tonight, or corner him after we've dealt with a monster. I was out in the hallway when my communicator beeped. Slipping into a nearby empty classroom, I closed the door and answered.

"Amy here." I was surprised to hear Tommy's voice come of the communicator, and instead of sounding serious, like he normally did, he sounded excited.

"Amy, come to the Power Chamber. You are so going to love this." Curious I gave the door a quick glance then teleported to the Power Chamber. When I arrived there, who should I see standing beside A-6, that for a moment I thought I was seeing double, was

"TENTOMON!!" I screamed out happily as I limped rapidly toward my friend, wrapped him up in a hug, lifted him off of his feet and swung him around.

"Tentomon! Tentomon!" I hugged him tightly.

"Amy, are you sure that's the right Alpha?" asked Adam. I turned to him and laughed as I set Tento down. He staggered a bit, then righted himself.

"Got quite a hug there Amy." I turned toward Adam with a grin on my face. A-6's body language said that he was a bit miffed, but I ignored him.

"You kidding? I know this robot's face anywhere." I gave Tentomon another squeeze. Then I looked around.

"Where's da–zordon?" Adam pointed to the far corner. Kited, Adam, Tommy and Justin were around dad and they were talking to him. I began to limp rapidly toward him, wishing that I could run. Dad moved away from the other rangers and opened his arms to embrace me in a hug. We stood like that for a full minute, momentarily forgetting where we were. I was so happy to see that my dad was alright, that my nightmares about him being captured and being put back into that tube never came true. _Mom must have gone to Edenio to be with him, she must have been as worried as I was. _I thought as we separated and looked at each other.

"D-zordon, what are you doing here?" I stopped myself from saying "Are you here to stay?" I really wanted to hear that. I missed seeing my dad so much. Dad didn't answer at first then he took a deep breath. He stepped away from me and turned, the others were standing in front of him, Tento had now moved to stand beside dad. An uneasy feeling suddenly formed in the pit of my stomach, whatever dad wanted to tell us, it was serious. After looking at us for a minute dad cleared his throat and said.

"Rangers I want you to know that Alpha and I are both very proud of you and of what you have accomplished throughout the years as rangers." He smiled at all of us. We could only look at him and wonder what this would lead up to.

"We are also proud of what you have accomplished as people....to fully realize your dreams and how you want to live out the rest of your lives....I thought it is high time that you pass on your powers to a whole new set of Rangers." I stared at him. _Pass on.... Is he serious? We finally get to live as regular teenagers?!!! Oh, my dream has come true finally!!_ Excitement was bubbling within me, I was practically dancing on my feet. _To be normal again, no longer will I have to teleport and fight monsters, no longer will I have to worry about weather my family will be safe from the wrath of my enemies, no longer will I have to worry about....._ I froze. Enemies,_ oh, god Goldar is still out there._ Disappointment came crashing over me like a gigantic wave, my happiness suddenly turned to despair and anger. _No! I want to be a normal kid! I don't want to go on being a Ranger! I don't!_ I looked at dad, he was busily looking at the others and talking to them about "chosen candidates" Tommy stepped forward.

"Yes, Zordon. Kat, Adam and I have chosen our replacements." Tommy had a proud look on his face. I glared at him, Suddenly hating him and the others for not having anything hanging over their heads, for not having a demented space alien, whose master that I had killed, wanting their blood or their head on a platter.

"I chose as my replacement T.J. Johnson." Behind us, where our former ranger suits were encased, a flash of light was suddenly lit and in its beam stood T.J. he was smiling at all of us, my mouth dropped open. _He knew!! He knew the entire time. _I swung around and glared at Justin, but I had to refrain myself mightily, from asking him questions. Instead I turned back to dad, Kited stepped forward.

"I chose as my replacement Cassie Chan." Another spotlight flashed on behind us and Cassie stepped into view. I swallowed hard wondering if I was going to have to voice the person that would replace me. _But I didn't chose anybody! _Adam stepped forward and said

"I chose as my replacement Carlos Vallerte." I blinked in surprise, Adam had mentioned Carlos a couple of times, said that he was a pretty good soccer player and he had helped us out a while ago when Angel Grove was under attack. Another spotlight came on and Carlos stepped into view, I began getting nervous and my mind began to race with names but I really couldn't focus._ Why didn't anyone tell me that this was going to happen? What am I going to do? Will dad give me time to choose someone? _Dad nodded toward the new rangers who stepped down and accepted the Turbo Powers from Adam, Kited and Tommy. Dad turned toward me.

"Amy, you did know about this didn't you?" After a pause, I suddenly remembered the conversation that I had with him in the cemetery not too long ago. He had told me about this and he had asked if I had wanted to choose a candidate to replace me so that I can live the rest of my life as a normal teenager. I had hesitated, I wanted to say yes but then I was forcibly reminded of the conversation that my friends and I had about Goldar targeting us if he ever found out that we were no longer the Power Rangers. _He still wants me dead, and he'll go after my step-brothers and sisters to finish the job that Zedd and Dregon started when they killed my parents. He knows that I wouldn't be able to bear it if I relived the guilt of not being able to save the people that I loved. That I couldn't get to my family in time, it would be a repeat of the day mom died. _I lifted up my head and told dad plainly that I would continue to be a Ranger. _If Goldar comes back, then someone will have to protect the replacements, they'll be an easy slaughter for him._ I looked at dad and nodded.

"Yes I remember." I wanted to beg him to let me find a replacement but....no I couldn't. I had to stay. Not for my earth family's sake or Angel Grove's but for.....Cassie, T.J., Carlos and Justin. _They have to be protected._ Tommy and the others stood before us, normal teenagers. I wanted to cry at my loss of resuming a normal life, of putting all of this pain and guilt behind me. _But that's never going to happen is it?_ I thought bitterly as I planted a fake smile on my face and welcomed the new team. My friends stood there, looks of pure relief on their faces, which made my blood boil. Dad was explaining the three rules to being a Power Ranger, I wasn't listening. I was busy yelling at myself for not going after Goldar earlier, for not being able to heal myself more faster, if I had then I could have killed Goldar right after I had killed Zedd, then my replacement would be standing before me, taking my Ranger Powers and saying that she'll do her best to protect Angel Grove and its people. I gave a start when I heard dad say that he and Tentomon had to leave.

"Leave? But you just got here, couldn't you stay for just a little while longer?" It surprised me that it was Tommy that had spoken, the others followed suit asking dad and Tentomon to stay for a little while longer, but with a face full of regret, dad shook his head.

"I'm sorry but we can't."

"We would like to rangers, we really would but we have to get back to Edenio."

"We still have a lot to accomplish before we can make a permanent return to Angel Grove." Tommy's and the others faces fell, and I felt, despite my anger, a sadness that my father and I would have to be separated once again.

"We understand Zordon." Tommy said walking over to him and shaking his hand. Kited stepped forward and hugged dad and Tentomon.

"Remember to call us if you're in need of any help."

"We will Kited."

"Take care and be careful." said Adam as he hugged the both of them. I walked over to my father and friend and hugged them tightly.

"Give Dregon's men a good beating for me okay?" I said. Dad smiled, and said that he will. After telling each of us to take care and watch out for each other, dad and Tentomon left once again.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The resentment that I felt for my friends for being given the chance to resume their normal lives with no worries about the state of Angel Grove, or if they were going to survive this battle or that battle, or if they were being followed by Piranhatrons or any of Divatox's henchmen, and could sleep soundly for the rest of their lives, was pushed to the far corners of my mind with teaching the new Rangers how to pilot the zords, seeing to their martial arts training, weapons training, and telling them about their new enemy, I was pretty busy for that first week. Justin tried to help me out as much as he could, thinking that he knew it all when in reality, he didn't. Still, I let him help, it was all too much to tell and to do for one girl. It felt a little strange to teleport to the Power Chamber and see complete strangers, whom I was barley getting to know, instead of my friends whom I rarely saw anymore. Sometimes I would be surprised to see them in the Power Chamber, working at the computers or tinkering with the zords, then it would all come back to me. The whole process of being a Power Ranger, of morphing and fighting felt different. There were no more combined attacks that we would often unleash, no more of having playful arguments while we kicked butt, while Tommy would yell at us to stop messing around, no more of playing around in the zords, _we used to play tag_. Sometimes I would accidently call out to T.J. and call him Tommy, and sometimes I would forget myself and call out orders for the others to follow, they allowed me to do this a couple of times and A-6 would constantly remind me that T.J. was the leader now and that I would be taking orders _from_ him one day.

"As soon as he finds his place within the team, then you can take the back seat." I glared at him, then limped away thinking longingly of Tentomon and how he would have told me to continue with the teachings until T.J. got the hang of being the leader of the Power Rangers._ That goes to show how different A-6 and Tentomon really are._ Speaking of which, the new rangers noticed how_ different_ Justin and I were. I spoke of caution and danger. Justin spoke about the glory of the battle and how nothing can hurt us. He even told them that _no monster can beat us! And how we were invincible!!_ I had a long and stern talk with Justin, but for all the good it did, I might as well had been talking to the wall. Justin still thought that the rangers were strong and unbeatable and I debated whether or not I should tell him about times that the rangers _had_ lost battles. Their first battle with Lord Zedd, the battle with the Evil Green Ranger, and the very first time that they faced off with Rito Revolto but I had a feeling that Justin would just ask.

"But they bounced back right?" when I had to say that yes, the rangers, after a time had bounced back he would just say.

"I knew they would." So I decided not to say anything, still I kept an eye on him, just to make sure that he didn't go over his head too much. _I promised Tommy and the others._ It became clear to me near the end of the week that he was showing off for the new rangers, because in his small and wacked out thirteen year old mind, _he_ was the expert and T.J and the others were the rookies. He began to show off his fighting moves, his powers that came with the ranger suit and his weapon. Watching him as he boasted about the monsters that he defeated and about taking on five Piranhatrons all at the same time and _all by himself. _I would shake my head and teleport to Angel Grove or Leawood.

"He's just a kid Amy. Kids like to have fun and boast about their accomplishments, can you blame him for wanting to tell the new rangers about what he has done so far ever since he became a ranger." I gave an irritated sigh.

"I don't like this Dex, I really don't. Justin's going to get himself into trouble if he doesn't stop acting all superior. Other than really annoying me, it's dangerous."

"How, pray tell, is it dangerous?" I scowled.

"Divatox could overhear him and target him and him alone, with some powerful monsters that want to test out his "super strength and speed and awesome weapon skills" and he could wind up by himself, while the rest of us are off with our hands full with a monster of our own. He could get hurt or worse, he could get captured. And I've been captured enough times to know what they do to you when you're locked in a cell with no powers, and at the mercy of your captors."

"And talking to him hasn't helped at all?" I sighed and shook my head.

"No, he still thinks its all a big game, that we are "the super cool and invincible Power Rangers, nothing can hurt us or defeat us", its driving me nuts. And before you ask, yes, Tommy and the others have talked to him."

"Have you told him about all those times when the Power Rangers were defeated?"

"Yes I have but as soon as I come to the part that the Rangers gained new powers to defeat a new enemy, he just says "See I told you so, nobody can defeat us and we get new powers as a bonus" I just don't know how I'm going to get thru to him."

"I was never like this, I never boasted to my friends or parents that, sure I had this cool power, I wasn't defeat able or all powerful. I knew that I could be taken down, I've got the scars to prove it for god's sake! Not to mention all that I've lost!"

"Maybe you should tell Justin what you went through, show him your parents graves." I shook my head firmly no.

"I've thought about that Dex I really have. But if I do that then I'm going to have to reveal to him that I used to be an agent of Lord Zedd's, he could possibly tell Dimitria and A-6, they could ask questions. Questions that I _do not_ want to answer!" _I don't want to get those two any more suspicious than they already are. _I was beginning to think that they knew that I had _more_ knowledge of an evil mind than I had originally claimed. _I can't let them find out that I used to be evil._ We were silent for a moment.

"So what you are you going to do?"

"I don' t know, I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on him and try to figure out a way to tell him that being a Ranger isn't all about fighting evil monsters and driving cool zords."

A few days later I was in my room pacing back and forth waiting for Kat to come home, glancing out my window I saw that night had already fallen. It still came as a surprise to me that everything in Angel Grove, and its people could still go about their daily lives as if nothing had ever changed, when a lot had changed just in the span of a few short years. _Their lives are not touched by the changes that the Power Rangers have to go through, that I had to go through. _Suddenly I felt isolated and alone._ No one has or _will _ever go through all the pain and torture that I have suffered._ I stopped in front of my mirror and looked at my reflection. My eyes looked tired, my face was lined with worries and stress and fears. I knew without even undressing that my body has known the punishments of war. _I really am different, anyone who really knows me can see that._ My eyes fell upon a picture of my family, all of us were standing on the front steps of my old house, my earth parents looking straight ahead with the merest of smiles, just like in all their other photos, my step brothers and sisters and I were busy grinning into the camera, laughing our eyes shining with youthfulness, unaware of the horror that was about to befall us. My eyes strayed on myself, how young I used to look, how carefree I seemed back then. _Right now looking back at that time....it all seemed like a faraway dream, a fantasy life that I made up to while away the hours. _I closed my eyes as pain flared up and I thought of everything that I had lost. _I wish I could go back to that life, where everything was safe, where the only memories that I have are of my family and happy times instead of....memories of committing murder, of losing my mother, of losing my childhood. _I looked into the mirror and was startled to realize that I was crying. Tears were streaming down my eyes as I put my forehead against the mirror and wept of everything that I had lost. _I want my life back._

Kat came home about one hour later and I had already pulled myself together, washed my face and made myself presentable. I was a little nervous as I entered the kitchen to greet Kat who was rummaging around the fridge looking for something to eat.

"I made some chicken with asparagus and lemon pepper." I said to her.

"Ah, found it." She said as she pulled out a foil covered plate from the fridge and uncovered it to take a peek at what was underneath, she smiled covered it up again and popped it into the microwave. She sat down at the kitchen table facing me. She noticed that I was playing with my fingers, a sure sign that I was nervous about something. _Well, here goes. _I took a deep breath.

"Kat, I want to move out." Kat looked at me startled and at the same time the microwave turned off making a _ding_ sound. _This entire scene would be funny if it was happening to someone else. _

"You want to move out?" she said, seemingly forgetting that she had a chicken dinner in the microwave. I got up and limped to the microwave took out her dinner, removed the foil and set it in front of her. She was still staring at me as I went over to a drawer, pulled it open and took out a knife and fork. All the while I kept talking.

"Yes, I think that its high time that I got a place of my own."

"But you're only sixteen!"

"A sixteen year old who is an orphan and who can make her own decisions."

"You're not an orphan."

"To the people of Angel Grove I am." I resumed my seat and looked at her.

"Look I've already thought about this for a while now....."

"How long?"

"For a couple of months." Not really a lie, but not really the truth either. _There is no way that I am going to tell her that I have been thinking of moving out ever since she became the Pink Ranger._

"Do you have any money to get your own place? You've only been at your job for a couple of months."

"I've only got three hundred saved, and I know that it isn't enough but dad told me....."

"Zordon knew?"

"I only told him that I was thinking of moving out when I turned seventeen, and he mentioned to me that he and mom have been putting money away for me, the money is actually Eltarian money. He began to put some away when he found out that my mom was pregnant. After he came to earth and found mom and me, he sent Tentomon back to Eltar to bring the money. After using his powers to turn the money into earth money..."

"Earth money?" I ignored her.

"He then used the Command Center's computer to call a bank and open up an account to put the money in there. He told mom about and she's been adding to it."

"Have you also been adding to it?" asked Kat. I looked at her.

"With everything that's happened....I completely forgot about it, I only just remembered a few days ago, when I was putting half my paycheck into my savings." She was silent for a few moments.

"Have you found a place yet?"

"No, I was thinking of going to a couple of the apartment complexes that my mother used to clean and ask the managers how much their asking for."

"Clean? Wait. What was it that your mom used to do?"

"She cleaned houses and apartment buildings and sometimes she would take me along, sometimes to help her, but most times just for company." I thought for a minute.

"I'm pretty sure that a couple of the managers still remember my mother, and they probably have a space for me. She would clean in good neighborhoods." I said as an after thought. Kat looked at me for a few moments.

"You really want to do this?" I nodded.

"Kat, you and Kim have done so much for me, taking me in and all but I need to stop living off of other people's charity. You two have been great but...."

"You just want a place to call your own."

"Yeah."

"Okay, then." She was silent a moment.

"Do you remember the apartments that your mom used to clean?" A smile spread on my face. I nodded then went to my room to get the list of apartment addresses.

We set off for the apartments that my mother used to clean on Friday. Kat and I only worked half a day so we could begin our search, some of the managers remembered me and they expressed sympathy for me and my family. But the people in the neighborhood apartments looked a bit....shady to me. We thanked the manager then hit a few more. Each one of them remembered how my mother and I cleaned apartments whose tenets were moving out or going to move in. They couldn't believe how much I've grown, or how I resembled my mother a bit. But the empty apartments that they showed us were too small. _Funny, I remember thinking that they were roomy and big._ We hit a few more, until finally we came to an apartment complex where I remember clearly the manager who had given me candy or sugar cookies(I didn't like them, but just to be polite I ate them), looking into the two bedrooms and taking a peek into the closets and the bathrooms I knew that this was definitely the place for me. The manager was all too happy to rent out a room to me, since she and my mother had been good friends. I began to wonder if I had seen her at the funeral. She gave me her price and after looking at it and calculating how much I had in my savings account and the account that my father opened up for me all those years ago, and seeing that I had enough money plus a little left over, I happily took the apartment.

Packing didn't take very long, I was never one for frivolous things and I was moved into my new apartment by the following Thursday. Kim was very exciting to hear that I had gotten my own place and made me promise to call her as soon as I moved in, so she could spend the night. Unpacking didn't take long either(it took about three minutes, I was really excited, can you blame me if I used my powers a bit?) I didn't have any pots or pans so my friends took me out to eat to celebrate, and helped me make a list of what I needed to add to my place(_my place!!)_ They said that they were going to help me out in furnishing it.

"First we need to measure the space to make sure that what we have in mind is going to fit in the rooms." I said. Blue Elf looked at me.

"Looks like you've thought this entire thing out Short stuff." I grinned. I had taken out all of the money in my two accounts so that I didn't fall short when I paid for anything. So all that week and the next we went to swap meets, garage sales and yard sales. We found a couple of pretty good furniture with pretty good deals. Hauling the furniture up onto the truck was no big deal and neither was getting them into the apartment(_although Blue Elf kept moaning about why I had to choose an apartment on the second floor, and he wasn't doing any lifting!)_ After a couple of more trips, figuring out what went best where, and getting into arguments, the apartment was fully furnished. Luckily there was still enough daylight for a quick break and a trip to the nearest Chinese restaurant and a quick trip downtown to kick a monster's butt and send it packing. After Kat and I went to an appliance store and bought the a toaster, can opener, microwave, blender and we even got a phone from Circuit City. I was debating about whether or not to get a laptop computer, or a desk computer. I checked how much money I had left. _Hmmm, only enough to buy a laptop. Okay, a laptop computer it is._ With my purchases in my hand and a skip in my limp I exited the store and back to my place.

Within a week I was all settled in, Kim said that she was going to come by Friday to take a look at my new place, she was really excited laughing I told her that I wasn't the only ranger to move into her own place.

"The others have moved out of their houses, why am I so special?"

"Come on Amy, its because you are my sister, my own and only wittle sister." It's been a while since any one's referred me as their little sister.

"Besides this is the first time that you are officially on your own and you should celebrate."

"I would like that sis, I really would but I'm kinda low on funds, how about a night in my new apartment, we could make popcorn and watch scary movies." Kim agreed. So on that Friday Kim flew from Florida, we spent the entire day just walking around, visiting our old haunts and talking, then as darkness fell we sat in my bedroom in front of _my new tv_ and watched a couple of horror movies and comedies. In the past two weeks I had grown to love my new freedom, waking up whenever I wanted to on the weekends and staying up as long as I wanted.Dex was excited for me as well, so I gave him a tour of my new place, he was glad of my new found freedom and was looking forward to getting a place of his own someday. I began to tease him about having that big old Endenoite palace all to himself.

"It'll be the ultimate bachelor pad for you." Dex laughed as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me hard on the mouth.

"You forget, I'm not going to be a bachelor for long. And other than having Edenio free that will be other thing that I'm looking forward to."

A week later the rangers and I were busily fighting Piranhatrons and a monster in downtown Angel Grove. The people had taken cover and were watching us fight, reporters and cameramen were there taking in all the action. Reporters were commenting on the battle and marveled at the speed and strength of the Rangers. _Uh-oh_. I thought as soon as I heard this. Justin, obviously, also heard this, for he began to get in the way and show off for the cameras. The cameras was on him as he _actually_ shoved me aside and began to beat a Piranhatron senselessly, after he had knocked it down he began to charge at the other Piranhatrons, but I had leapt, grabbed him by the scruff and hit him on the back of the head.

"Hey! What was that for? I could take them all on!" I smacked him again.

"Knock it off! Stop showing off and fight!" I yelled at him.

"Alright alright! God why are you treating me like this? I'm not a little kid ya know!" _Uh, yeah you are._ But I didn't say so out loud, instead I turned and flung myself at the monster that was beating back T.J. and Cassie, it placed both of its hands on their stomachs and flung them high into the air, turned and was about to blast them when my sword flashed out, the monster let out a scream as its hands were cut off. They fell at its feet as I began to strike it again and again. Justin, leaped in front of me(lucky for him I managed to stop my sword from slicing him in half just in time) and began kicking and punching the monster, laughing at how the monster couldn't fight back. He didn't count on the monster having heat beam eye blasts though. I felt a twinge of satisfaction as I ducked as Justin flew over me and hit the ground hard and I couldn't help but recall my step father's words _Sometimes a good hard kick in the pants is what it takes to set a kid straight._ _In Justin's case, I hope that's true._ I thought as I shoved the monster back and offered to spare it's life only if it took a message back to Divatox. It started to agree when.....it was lifted into the air! All of us froze and stared transfixed as the monster began to struggle as whatever it was that had seized it was yanked away and landed a few feet from us. As it landed it let out another scream then exploded! Chill after chill ran down my spine and my entire body. Around me everyone was staring horrified at the place where the monster had landed, even the Piranhatrons seemed frozen, then as if on a signal, they vanished. Around me everyone was asking questions.

"What the heck was that?"

"Did you see that?"

"Who did that?" All the other questions except the last one flew past me, _I know who did that, I just don't want to believe that it's him, I just don't want to believe that he can show up after all this time._ _I don't want to believe that what I felt, what I sensed was not just a trick or a figment of my imagination._ In the back of my mind, I knew that he had returned. For out of the smoke that came from the explosion I saw the shape of a staff I knew all too well....

**Sorry to end it like this, and sorry it took so look, I've been trying to figure out how to get up to this point. I hope you enjoyed it and if you have any suggestions or comments drop me a line.**


	12. Chapter 12

**And now the moment that you've all been waiting for!!**

Chapter 12

From the smoke left from the exploding monster and holding his master's staff in his hand, came Goldar, flanked on each side by the Tengu Warriors. They stopped a few feet from us and looked us over. We stared back at them, no one spoke, all eyes were on the new comers. Goldar, I saw, had gotten himself new armor. It looked like his old suit of armor but it was black, and I guess it was me and my past experiences with him, but the black armor made him look even more terrifying than Zedd himself. Goldar's eyes locked on me, I shifted my feet so that I was in a combative stance, I glanced at Justin, who was staring at Goldar and the Tengu. Even though I couldn't see the expression on his face his body language told me _Who are these guys? _A picture popped into my mind of a smile coming across Justin's face, and I tighten my hand on the hilt of my sword. _I have to protect Justin and the others._ Goldar was looking at the new rangers. A grin spread slowly across his face.

"These are the new rangers that I've heard so much about." He finally said. The others stiffen. I heard T.J mutter

"How did he know about us?" Goldar looked at each of us in turn.

"What a ragtag bunch, three newbies, a kid and one veteran. I can very much see that the earth is in good hands." He chuckled, the Tengus cackled as well and were looking as if they were itching to do us some damage.

"Now, let's see how this bunch does against a _real _threat. ATTACK!" He screamed. He and the Tengus all charged at us, before I could call to the others Justin leapt forward.

"Come on guys we can take them!" And he _charged_ forward!

"STOP! WAIT!" I screamed after Justin. I began to limp as fast as I could after him, to try to stop him from reaching Goldar and getting himself killed. But the Tengus were already on me and my team mates, I slashed at any Tengu that was near enough. _I have to get to Justin! He doesn't have any idea who he is dealing with! _I saw with horror Justin racing toward Goldar, he had almost reached him, when Goldar pointed his hand at Justin. I stopped and stared in shock as _Justin was levitated into the air, was flung and smashed headfirst into the windshield of a car. _I heard someone give out a shriek, several people rushed toward him. Justin was pulled out of the windshield and laid on the ground, some people were shaking him and trying to rouse him, but he wasn't even moving. I started to go to him but I was blasted in the side. _That's my power that Goldar used!_ I cried out as I flew through the air and landed several feet away from the battle, my sword flew from my hand and skirted a few feet away from me. I lay there dazed for a few moments, then shaking my head to clear it I managed to get to my feet only to be shoved against a wall by Goldar who had come flying out of nowhere.

"Miss me?" he snarled as I struggled. He brought his face close to mine. A twisted and malicious smile on his face.

"Karmer." I couldn't get him off of me, over his shoulder I saw that the others were getting their butts kicked by the Tengus. _And pretty badly by the looks of it._ I saw my sword, it was only lying a few feet away. _If I could just get to it...._ I thought as I began to stretch out my thoughts toward it, it quivered slightly then slowly turned toward me.

"Halt!" Shouted a voice. Turning we both saw that it was the Blue Senturion. _About time. _I thought to myself as I used the distraction to make my sword fly toward Goldar, its blade aiming for the back of his head. Goldar turned and ducked, I stopped my sword as it came within an inch of giving me a new eyeball. Stretching out my hand I grabbed the hilt and flung myself at Goldar who was busily now in combat with the Senturion. Senturion was kicked and blasted back I leapt in front of him and met Goldar head on.

"Go and help the others and check on Justin." I instructed as I spun, ducked and parried. My sword glowed and I sent a Power Blast toward Goldar who blocked it, he retaliated by sending red electricity at me which I ducked. I looked up just in time to see him in front of me, kicking me in the chin I sprawled on the ground, I spun my body until I was in a kneeling position then leapt and ducked as Goldar tried to slice first my head then my arm. I sent power to my sword once again, Goldar, in turn, sent power into the staff, we fired at each other. The ground shook at the impact of both energies collided. Even though the smoke clouded my vision I shot forward sensing where Goldar was, he met me a split second later, we both shoved each other back and began to try to outmatch each other in strength, speed and skill. I managed to keep up with him, but just barely, he managed to fight with the staff and the powers that Zedd had stolen from me at the same time. I ducked cars, pieces of rubble, even people as they came flying toward me! I had to abandon fighting with him as I leapt up and caught the people, set them on the ground and told them to take cover. I turned just in time to see a truck heading my way, I didn't have time to duck. It smashed into me and we went flying into a brick wall. And there it stayed. The people let out screams and gasps.

"Oh my god!" a reporter said. Some people turned away. Some only muttered questions.

"Is she alright?"

"I don't think so."

"I thought that they could survive anything."

"No one could have survived that." Goldar laughed then turned and started toward the other rangers who were on the ground, having been beaten by the Tengu, and struggling to get up. Justin, now awake, was struggling to his feet, refusing to give up, refusing to believe that a lousy monkey could possibly defeat the Power Rangers. The Tengus all grabbed the Rangers, the Senturion was lying very still a few feet away, and held them up for Goldar to inspect and see. He walked over to T.J and inspected him.

"Hmmm, and I thought you bunch were going to be a challenge, Karmer put up a greater fight than all of you put together, not to mention the former Power Rangers. It seems to me that destroying you will be no contest what so ever. Pity, Zordon and Tommy and the other must be so disappointed." He stepped back from them and pointed his staff but stopped and turned. Everyone on the street turned as well to face the truck that was embedded into the wall, it was moving slightly, little by little the truck was being shoved out of the building.

"No way!"

"Can it really be possible?"

"Incredible!" The people muttered as the truck moved inch by inch outward. Finally I came staggering out to the clapping and cheering from the people of Angel Grove. I collapsed on my knees panting. _Now I know how a sardine feels like. _I thought as I struggled to my feet. I chuckled weakly to myself. _After this I am so going to ask for the week off._ I thought as I limped to the spot where my sword had landed. Picking it up I turned and faced Goldar.

"Yo! Y–your beef is with me Goldar, not w–with the rookies. So are we going to do this or what?" _I am just so asking for it, I would have never talked to Goldar like this in the old days._ He turned to me.

"So you're alive, that suits me just fine. Now I can have the chance to torture you for everything that you've done to me and my master." He began to run toward me, I began to limp as fast as I could toward him and all the while concentrating on my power. My body glowed yellow and so did my sword. Goldar was yelling as the staff glowed also with charged power. The people all yelled and screamed when it looked as if we were about to collide. But instead of releasing the power on Goldar I leapt over his head and unleashed part of it on the Tengu that were holding my team mates. They all cried out as they were blasted, and flew several feet into the air, they landed on the ground with a thump, then they got up rather groggily saw the rangers towering over them, turned tail and took flight. I turned back toward Goldar and flew at him once again, he threw up a shield but I passed right through it and our weapons clashed. We kept shoving each other back and trying to overpower the other but it seemed as if we were evenly matched. It suddenly occurred to me that Goldar's fighting moves reminded me of someone. I flipped over him, he whipped out his sword and tried to stab me in the stomach but I managed to twist my body to the left and landed, I spun to face him and then it clicked. _He was the one that I fought on the rooftop of the power plant._ Both of our bodies and weapons were still glowing but I knew that like me, he was waiting for the right time to unleash it. Our weapons meet on last time and while we were up close, both of us let out yells and unleashed the power within us. The explosion that followed was big and knocked everyone onto the ground. Two figures were blown through the air in opposite directions, one landed 5 feet away and fell to her knees. The other spread his wings and took flight, shouting curses at the other then he was gone. There was a moment of silence then the clearing exploded into claps and cheers. The people raced toward me and engulfed me in hugs and pats on the back, the others were embraced as well. Through the crowd I saw to my relief that Justin and Senturion were okay. The others looked alright as well, though they were supporting each other and answering the questions that the reporters were flinging at them. When a reporter came up to me and began to fire questions at me, I reached out and clung to her shoulder. Exhaustion rolling over me in waves making me want to lie down and rest for a month or so, someone was supporting me.

"Hey, are you okay?" someone said. I turned toward the speaker, and as I turned my head began to swim, everything spun. Mustering up the last bit of strength and energy that I had I called over to my team mates, told the reporters that we would answer questions later then teleported to the quiet and sanctuary of the Power Chamber.

I flopped on the ground completely exhausted and wishing fiercely that I could use my healing powers to heal myself and get rid of the pain that was coursing through my body. I staggered to my feet and leaned against the control panel, my shaking legs gave way from underneath me and I slid to the floor. _This is bad. He knows how to control the power within the staff. This is even more worse than I feared. _I had thought that the power that Zedd stole from me would eventually run out over time, but I was wrong. _It seems as if the staff had more of my power to spare. How much did he actually steal from me?_ I jumped when T.J spoke, having been so wrapped up in my thoughts I had completely forgotten about the others.

"Can anyone tell me who that guy was that attacked us?" He was leaning against the far wall panting. Justin was sitting on the medical table with his head in his hands. My guess was that he had a bit of a headache when he took a dive into that windshield. Cassie and Carlos were leaning against each other.

"That was an old enemy of the first Power Rangers. His name is Goldar." I said as I struggled to my feet, but I was so exhausted that I flopped back onto the ground. Cassie looked at me.

"Where did he come from? Why did he destroy that monster?"

"Yeah and how did he know about us being the new Power Rangers?" asked Carlos.

"Okay number one, I don't know where he originally came from, but he was part of Zedd's crew for a long time. Two: Why he destroyed that monster......we can only guess." _Probably to show off what he can do with the power within the staff. The power of that thing...._ I swallowed hard uneasiness flowing into me as images raced through my mind of my team mates getting blasted or thrown around by the power of the staff_. _The Tengu seemed much more powerful than the last time that my friends and I had last faced them. _Even the rookies, with their Turbo powers couldn't stand up to them. So this isn't bad, this is worse. _I looked at Carlos, not having forgotten the third question.

"As for how Goldar found out that it wasn't Tommy and the others underneath those helmets, my guess is that Divatox saw that you guys weren't them and spread the word. It must have reached Goldar." Justin lifted up his head.

"But what does he want? Is he going to going to join up with Divatox?" asked Cassie. I shook my head.

"No, he's not going to join up with her, I know that for a fact. The way that he spoke of himself being a REAL threat means that he sees Divatox as a non threat, non competition. He'll probably use Divatox's monsters and henchmen to wear us down." _Wear _you guys _down. _I thought privately.

"Then he'll come in and try to finish us off. As for what he wants. He wants revenge." They all stared at me as I gave a brief explanation on the reason Goldar returned to Angel Grove. Cassie snarled at me.

"If you knew that he was going to return then why didn't you tell us?" She had regained some of her strength and was now standing on her own and glaring at me. I looked up at her, we were still in our ranger suits, our helmets were on the floor in a corner. _If this were Kim or Kat that was looking at me like that I would flinch and start to feel guilty about not telling them sooner. But......I don't feel guilty. _T.J and Carlos were also glaring at me, none of them looked at Justin, who was busily running his hand over his head in search for scars, no doubt.

"Even if I did tell you, you wouldn't have been prepared for such a powerful attack, we barley managed to escape as it is." _I wonder if Tommy and the others saw what had happened, if they had then why didn't they come to help us? They can still morph into the Zeo Rangers, I know they can._ I stopped then smiled to myself. _There I go again relying on my friends to bail me out of tough situations. I'll need to check up on them but later._

"Even if we did know and trained to meet him head on, there still would have been a slim chance that he would _never _return to Angel Grove. He could have waited until all of us were retired, old and gray, and then chosen that time to return and kill us." To my ears, that sounded unlikely. Goldar, wanted my blood, so he would want to kill me when I was in top fighting form, he would want to torture me until I begged for mercy, until I begged him to kill me. But instead of doing that he would probably force me to watch each of my friends and family die right in front of my eyes. Then when I lost all of my inner strength that I had gained over the years, then and only then, would he have struck the final blow. I got up, grateful that the feeling had returned to my legs.

"In the meantime, I want all of you to stay on the alert. This guy is not stupid like Elgar nor are the Tengu Warriors. If any of you meet up with either of them call for back up and we'll come as fast as we can."

"In case you haven't noticed," snapped A-6. "T.J. is the leader here not you, so don't go giving out orders just because you're a veteran.." I turned to him exhaustion making me angry.

"A-6, two words. Shut. Up. I want you to tend to everyone's injuries and keep an eye on Angel Grove and the former Power Rangers." A-6 was about to reply but I had already turned my back on him and limped toward Justin.

"How are you holding up champ?" To my dismay and irritation, Justin's eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Was that a fight or what? This Goldar guy is going to be something else after Elgar and those dumb Piranhatrons." I let out a sigh.

"I've never been thrown into a windshield before, but thanks to my suit I bounced right back, just like a super hero ought to." I wanted to grab him by the shoulders, shake him and start yelling at him_ Do you want to know what a Ranger's life is really like?_ Instead I turned away from him, too tired to yell at him teleported to my apartment and fell into bed.

Later I called my friends together, they had seen what had went on downtown and wanted to help but they really couldn't. They had given their communicators to T.J. and the others and they really couldn't morph into the Zeo Rangers, because the Turbo Powers had cancelled out the Zeo Powers.

"But—" I stopped. I started to ask them. _Can't you morph once again into the Zeo Rangers? You gave away your Turbo Powers._

"What is it Short Stuff?" asked Rocky, they all turned to look at me. _I can't voice the question out loud, it'll be like saying that the new rangers can't handle this new threat unless the old Rangers step forward and take over_. _And they can't help us out because they can't morph, and even if they try to help fight Goldar they'll get killed._

"Nothing." I said glumly. _Even if they could morph into the Zeo Rangers again, I can't ask them to give up their lives to fight Goldar, it wouldn't be fair to them._ _They entrusted T.J. and the others to continue fighting Divatox_, _they entrusted me to take care of them and to show them what it takes to become a Ranger. I can't ask them to come back, no matter how much I want to._

"How's Justin doing?" asked Kat. I debated on whether or not I should tell her about Justin's reaction to being thrown into a windshield.

"He's fine." After a moment. "He's excited about this "super cool and more of a challenge" threat." Tommy scowled. Blue Elf looked down at his hands. Kat shook her head, a look of dismay on her face.

"You guys, I'm sorry. I had no idea that ........"

"Rocky it's not your fault, besides you had to go on faith when you chose Justin to replace you." said Tommy. I nodded.

"Yeah, just like when Tommy chose me to become the Yellow Ranger or...or when Kim chose Kat." Kat glanced up, and gave me a grateful smile.

"Don't worry about it, I'll keep an eye on Justin and if I have to I'll give him a good kick the pants to remind him that being a Power Ranger is not a game." Blue Elf smiled at me.

"Thanks Short Stuff."

"No problem."

"So the others know about Goldar and the staff?" asked Adam. I nodded and told them that I had explained about Goldar, his hatred toward me, and who the staff's original owner was.

"You didn't tell them that the power inside the staff was your power that Zedd stole from you, did you?" asked Tommy. I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face.

"Tommy, that power...i–its no longer mine. It hasn't been for 2 years."

"Can you take it back? Drain it somehow out of the staff?" Asked Kat.. I thought about it then I shook my head.

"No, and believe me if I knew of a way, I would do it."

"What about _your _power Ames? Have you told them?" asked Adam. _As a mater of fact, I haven't, I'm still afraid that if they find out that I'm half alien then they'll view me as an enemy, despite the fact that I wear a Ranger suit._ I shook my head.

"No. But I'm going to tell them, I just have to figure out how. In the meantime, I'll use a bit of my power in combat whenever Goldar appears that way we'll be evenly matched." Tommy sighed after a moment of silence said.

"I–I wish that we were still Rangers." I looked up at him startled. Adam and the others nodded. "They could easily be killed by Goldar and the Tengu, they don't have enough experience to take them on, not like we do."

"If only we had known, then we would have never chosen replacements." said Kat, she was blinking back tears. I glanced up at the night sky wishing with all of my might that dad was here, to comfort us and to give us guidance. _But he's not._ Anger suddenly welled within me and tears were in my eyes._ Why did he have to leave? If he could have stayed then it would be my friends fighting beside me and not some snot nosed rookies. The rookies have no idea what they're up against and because of their inexperience, they're going to get themselves killed._ _We are on our own here, without dad to protect us_ _we're vulnerable to any and all attack that Goldar can throw at us._ Suddenly a thought struck me. _Did he know? Did Goldar somehow know that the Power Rangers were going to replaced by rookies and that dad would leave to fight a war on a faraway planet? Is that why he came back after all this time? Is that why he choose to show himself_ _today? Maybe he did._

"Amy, we're sorry, i–if there was anyway to take back our powers and not let you face this alone....." Adam touched my hand. I gave him a watery smile.

"Thanks you guys...but....what's done is done....no changing that."

"I'll protect them, I'll do my best."

"We know you will Short stuff, we know you will."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_And after the exciting battle between the rookie Power Rangers, the veteran and the punk of an idiot kid, who STILL THINKS THAT A Ranger can not feel any pain_, _against a returning super villain that has the staff of his former master and can control it alongside with the power that his former master extracted from the veteran ranger and can wield it with ease, the city of Angel Grove, after much difficulty, have moved on with their lives. Though there is still the underlying fear that Divatox and Goldar will join forces, but given at what just happen yesterday, all answers point to "Not gonna happen." Divatox is a loony who hires monsters from all around the universe to take on and destroy the Power Rangers and Angel Grove, with nothing but brute strength. Whereas Goldar, a true warrior, sees to it that an enemy has to be worn down from the inside, then and only then when the victim can't take anymore punishment and begs for death, does Goldar grant that wish. And instead of using brute strength Goldar would want to kill his target with his bare hands while watching the life going out of his victim's eyes. _I shuddered, my spoon clanked against the bowl. This morning newspaper was in front of me. The front page screamed **Goldar Returns** with picturers of the battle, interviews from eyewitness and some bogus quotes from the Power Rangers that the reporters made up. Everyone, who was at the battle or had seen it live on TV, had been terrified that there was going to be two wars going on in Angel Grove, until the mayor read a letter sent to him by one of the Power Rangers, that the Rangers will do their absolute best to keep Angel Grove and its people safe. The people, who have seen many villains come and go knew that the Rangers would keep to their promise and had moved past the fear and continued on with their normal lives. It seemed a bit startling to me that after an attack and a battle like the one yesterday, people can go about as if nothing big had happened. That they can still go to work, come home, kiss their wives, husbands or kids, good morning or good night and sleep peacefully in their beds with no fear of what might come the next day. It was also startling to me that my birthday was coming up and my friends wanted to celebrate. At first I declined a celebration, it would seem weird to celebrate, what with everything that was going on now, but my friends insisted. And I caved in, Kimberly was flying down from Florida to be with us for my birthday and Billy was coming down from Aquitar. At first I had begun to panic thinking that on their journeys both of them would be attacked by Divatox or worse by Goldar and end up being killed. I asked(screamed is more like it. You seriously can not get through to A-6)that the Power Chamber's sensors keep a sharp eye on Kimberly Hart and Billy Cranston and to call me if Goldar or Divatox attacked them. They were to arrive this weekend. I began to hope and pray that nothing would go wrong with my sister's flight or with Billy's journey. I also prayed that Aisha was watching over the both of them and keeping them safe. I was hoping also that Dad would come and be with me to celebrate, but there was a very slim chance of that. Dex, called me up earlier that week and told me that he was sorry but he wouldn't be able to make it, he had something to do, something very important. This hurt me, because this would be my first birthday with my boyfriend, and it turns out that he has _something more important to do _than to be with me when I celebrate the day that I turn 17!!! At first I was a bit peeved but then I let it go_,_ thinking that it had something to do with figuring out a way to defeat Count Dregon.

My birthday celebration went off without a hitch, well only a couple, but it went pretty well all the same. Kim had watched the news and had seen the battle and was really glad that I had returned her calls_(after she left 10 messages on my answering machine)_ and that I was all right and in one piece. When Tommy and I had picked her up from the airport, she was already jumping up and down to see over the heads of the crowd of people in front of her, and when she saw us, she shoved past all of them(a lot of people gave her dirty looks), ran toward us and gave me a pretty tight bear hug.

"Oh my gosh Amy! I can't believe that he's back after all of this time. Hi Tommy." she said in a off handed kind of way. Tommy blinked frowned then followed us as we went to claim her baggage. We exited out of the airport and climbed into Tommy's truck, and Kim continued to talk a mile a minute.

"I'm mean I knew that he was going to come back, I mean we all knew, to get revenge on the all of us. And I thought for sure when he put that spell on Kat and captured me, I thought for sure that he was, you know going to stay and start attacking you guys alongside King Mondo but when he didn't I was really surprised but not you Ames, you knew that he was only playing with us. He still had his cracked armor so he wasn't all that powerful and he didn't know how to control Zedd's staff, and when you told me that the guy that you fought on the rooftop was in fact Goldar I was surprised that he didn't show up soon after, but he must have not fixed his armor yet. But for him to show up now! Its just......i—its just scary Ames. And how he controlled the power that Zedd stole from you....that was just....super scary. I was all about to morph when I saw him launch that truck at you! It just came as a real bummer and a let down that I remembered that I wasn't a Ranger anymore. And when I saw that you were alright I cheered and when you were going to fight him all by yourself, I was wishing that I could morph so that I could help you, you have no idea how scared I was that you were going lose to Goldar so I began to pray that Aisha would there beside you, and I'm pretty sure I saw her!" Tommy glanced at Kim.

"You saw Aisha? I didn't see her and the others and I were watching the fight. Are you sure Aisha was there?" He glanced at me.

"I didn't sense her presence." Kim looked crestfallen but then she spoke up again.

"Well maybe she only showed up to me because I was her best friend when she was alive." I shifted in my seat. Kim kept talking about the battle, how worried she was, how she had called up Jason, Zack and Trini and found out that the fight was being played all over the world. Jason and the others, like my friends, had been frustrated that they could longer morph to face off against an old enemy and wished that there was some way that they could become Rangers again.

"Jason was even thinking of contacting Trey and asking to become the Gold Ranger again to fight Goldar, by the way he says hi and so do Zack and Trini, anyway he knows that, its like impossible because as far as we know the Power Coins were the only ones that were capable of switching hands back and forth. But oh, I wish I wish I wish that we could morph into Rangers again." She was breathing a little hard and her eyes were bright.

"And I see that the long journey hasn't worn you out at all Kim." said Tommy in a good natured voice as he smiled at her while he got her bags down. Kim stuck her tongue out at him as we climbed the stairs to my apartment. As I unlocked the door and let them in Tommy said that as soon Kim got ready we were to met the others at the restaurant.

During the car ride, I asked Kim not to mention the fight. Tommy said that he asked the same for the others and he also told Billy, who was already at the restaurant, along with the others. Kim nodded saying that

"Today is a very special day for my sister and should not be ruined by talk of a battle that happened yesterday." Kim hugged me, then helped me out of the car as Tommy put it in park We went into the building where my friends were their already seated at the table, after we said greeted each other and had sat down, the celebration started. For two hours, we managed to steer clear of the subject of Goldar, the Tengu Warriors, Zedd's staff...or I guess I should say Goldar's staff. _I can't really imagine that staff as Goldar's. _We focused on the fact that Dex wasn't here to celebrate with me, Tommy said that Dex probably had a good reason and that he'll tell me when the whatever he was working on, is finished.

"In the meantime relax." Talk soon turned to any new relationships that were turning up in the lives of Blue Elf and Adam. Blue Elf said that he was seeing this woman and she seemed really into him, they had a lot in common, and they would have lots of fun on their outings on the town. Adam said that he had been seeing this girl, her name was Ashley, and from how Adam talked about her, she was everything that he wanted in a girl. I was happy for the both of them, to have found someone to love, to share things with. _Life can get pretty lonely after a while. _I thought to myself, I thought of Dex. He had told me once that he when he had first met me he had felt a special connection. One that he couldn't describe but he knew it would ease the pain of loneliness that he had been feeling for a while. _I'm glad that I was the person to help ease that pain. _I was looking forward to the next day, wondering what Dex was going to show me.

As we all sat back in our chairs after eating the food, and cake and after listening to the staff of the restaurant sing "Happy Birthday" I began to think that talk of the battle yesterday would never come around and we could all discuss it tomorrow.....until I saw the serious look on Billy's face. _Oh no._ The atmosphere around the table quickly become serious.

"Not to ruin your special day Amy...." He ignored Kim's glare. "But we need to discuss what's happening." Reluctantly everyone nodded, I looked down at my ice cream and pushed the remains of it around the bowl with my spoon. Tommy took a deep breath then let it out. Blue Elf was the first to speak.

"I can't believe that he's actually here in Angel Grove. Or how powerful he's become."

"Was there ever any doubt that one day he would one day return?" said Kim drily. I shook my head.

"No, as soon as he had regained his strength and made himself stronger......" My voice trailed off. Adam turned toward me.

"The new rangers....are you sure that you've explained everything to them, Goldar's history, who he used to work for."

"Yes! I told them everything! Except for where he got that extra boost in his powers, they think that its _his_ powers that they witnessed at work the other day."

"Well, you can't tell them otherwise, theoretically it _is_ his power that he was displaying." said Billy.

"How did they take it after you told them?" asked Blue Elf.

"Shocked at first that a new enemy could destroy a monster with just one shot, and angry, because they thought that I had always known that he would return and failed to tell them. Plus they thought for sure that yesterday was going to be their last battle."

"They thought that?" asked Kat.

"Yeah....they were all grateful that I came out of that crash alive and distracted Goldar and the Tengu when we began to fight."

"B–but the new rangers still couldn't get away from the Tengu?" asked Kim. I shook my head.

"No, Carlos and T.J. both said that the Tengu were strong, even more stronger than the Piranhatrons themselves." Tommy had a thoughtful look on his face.

"That's their say, what about you Ames?" I looked at Tommy

"Well....." I paused." They were pretty strong, a bit more stronger than me but just by much. Actually their strength reminded me of the time when Master Vile came. Remember how all of a sudden the Tengu were super strong and you...we had to use the Metallic Armor to beat them?" The others nodded.

"So whatever Vile gave to make the Tengu stronger back then..." said Kat.

"Goldar just gave them another dose." said Tommy grimly remembering, unconsciously he rotated his right shoulder, recalling how one Tengu had slashed at him. Rocky had a perplexed look on his face.

"But didn't whatever Vile gave the Tengu to make them stronger wear off a couple of days after Vile took off?" Billy was in deep thought then he nodded.

"Yes, it did." Tommy spoke up.

"Goldar must have given whatever it was to the Tengu again, he must have gone to Vile to ask him where he could find an endless supply." His face was angry, he tightened his hand on his fork. The others all nodded thoughtfully. Tommy relaxed his grip on his fork although his eyes still showed anger, I quickly turned to my sister. She looked at me.

"H–how much of your power did Zedd steal from you Amy?" I cringed. I did _not_ want to remember the five minutes of laying on the floor screaming while Zedd pointed his staff at me, _feeling_ my power taken out of me, seeing it going into the staff, staring up at him wishing that he would kill me. The extraction of my power felt like my insides were being ripped from my body, and I wished for the pain to stop, to end. It had only taken five minutes and yet...it had seemed endless.

"H–he took enough.... to make his monsters stronger A–after it was done, I–I felt weak...I–I could barely get out of bed as it was." I began to tremble, Kim covered my hand with hers and gave it a squeeze. It seemed unreal that we had all come here to celebrate a birthday party.

"I wish that I had met all of you earlier then....then I wouldn't have had to go through all of that." _And Aisha would still be alive._ _A lot of things would be different._ I blinked back tears as I thought about all the things that could have been if I had met Kim and the others sooner. I struggled to push away the emotion that was welling up within me. Kim must have seen the struggle for she got up and hugged me, soon the others had put their arms around me and we just stayed like that.

As we were walking out of the restaurant we continued our discussion about the powers that Goldar could have other than levitation.

"So far he can levitate and create power blasts." said Tommy. _I just hope that's all that he can do._ I began to worry that he could teach himself how to morph and I began to envision him morphing, sliding underneath my front door and waiting for me until I was in my room, or worse he could sneak into one of my classrooms at school and attack me there, where I would be powerless to stop him. I shuddered then began to curse myself angrily for not destroying that blasted staff! As soon as my friends dropped me off, I gave a grateful sigh, it was good to be home. Away from all that talk, away from all the speculation, away from the growing fear. I turned and stared out into the street, then I turned back to my apartment, inserted the key unlocked the door and stepped into my living room

The next night Dex was driving me to the beach saying that he wanted to show me something. I, for one was glad for the distraction, I was getting tired of being paranoid and always wondering just how much Goldar could control the power within the staff. _What if Goldar figures out how to morph? We could be in more danger that way. He could follow us anywhere, he could be anywhere. Will he attack my friends with his powers? If he does they won't stand a chance. _Another worry that has been plaguing me: _How will I be able to protect the other Rangers if I can't use my full strength and power? Yesterday I only used half. Dimitria and A-6 didn't notice because there was too much going on_, _but_ _what about next time? What if Goldar launches an even bigger attack and I have to use all my strength just to keep myself and my teammates alive? If it comes to that and they see, there will be questions. I'll probably end up having to tell them that I'm part alien, what if they view me as a threat? What if they think that just because I didn't tell them sooner I'm part of Divatox's team or Goldar's, poising as a friend when in reality I'm a spy?_

I gave a sigh and leaned my head back against the headrest and placed one hand to my forehead. Dex looked over at me and asked if I was alright. I couldn't lie to him, he knew me too well.

"No, it's just.....this war. Now that Goldar's back the danger has escalated." He looked over at me a sympathetic look on his face. He reached over and squeezed my hand.

"You'll get through this, I know you will. You'll do your best to protect everyone around you. Plus you have me and Tommy and the others. You are not alone in this Ames." I smiled at him.

"Thanks."

We arrived at the beach, after shutting off the engine, he got out of the car and I followed. Taking off our shoes and socks, we began to walk hand in hand along the water's edge, with the wind brushing our hair back and the waves crashing and the water barely touching our feet, I began to remember that it was here that Dex and I found out each other's secret identities, fought our first battle as a team and had our first kiss. I smiledas I remembered the shocked expressions on our faces when we both morphed in front of the other. Dex stopped in front of me, I stopped also and looked at him.

"Okay, now I'm going to show you something, but it's a surprise. So you have to close your eyes." Dex had an excited look on his face. Smiling and wondering I shut my eyes, Dex took me by the hand and began to lead me down the beach, after twenty minutes or so we came to a stop.

"Don't open your eyes yet." Dex said as he got behind me, placed his hands on my shoulders and steered me a few more feet. Finally we stopped.

"Okay, open your eyes." I opened them and let out a gasp. In front of me was a clothed covered table with a chicken dinner on top and surrounding the table on the ground were lit candles and around each of the candles were stones.

"Dex, its beautiful!" I breathed as he, smiling broadly, lend me to my chair, after seating me, he sat down himself and we began to eat. He told me that he had enlisted Chopper and Magno's help in finding the perfect place to set this all up. He had been thinking of setting this up in a restaurant but

"I figured the restaurant scene has been done to death already, so I picked the beach." I grinned at him and looked at the stone encircled candles.

"Everything is beautiful Dex, its perfect." I said as I wiped my mouth with my napkin. He smiled at me.

"I'm glad you think so." he shifted in his seat, then took a deep breath.

"Amy, this last year being with you.....it has been one of the greatest years of my life. Ever since we've met you've......you've beaten back a loneliness that has been inside of me for a very long time and I'm eternally grateful. Because of youI can now look forward to the end of every battle, knowing that you'll be there waiting for me. You've done more than get me through all of those battles....You've gotten me though the insanity that comes with this war and the hardships....I always want you to be there for me, I want you to be always by my side through the good times and bad, through the times of war and the times of peace." he paused for a bit, then he slipped his hand underneath the table and pulled from his pocket a box.

"I....I've been meaning to ask you for some time now Amy." I could only stare as he got up, came around the table, I turned in my seat as he kneeled in front of me and opened the box to reveal a gold ring!

"Amy Karmer, will you marry me?" I stared at him for a bit, my mind turned to slush at this proposal. _Say something!!_

"Dex, of course I'll marry you, of course." Ithrew my arms around himand kissed him hard on the mouth, we hugged each other happily. Dex slipped the ring onto my finger.

"Alright boss!" someone shouted, turning we saw that Magno and Chopper were there and had seen everything. We both smiled at them as the two vehicles cheered. Laughing I stood up and pulled Dex toward me and we began to dance.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

My friends and my sisters were ecstatic when they heard the news, Blue Elf and my sisters grabbed each other hands and began to dance around the room.

"She's engaged She's engaged. He finally popped the question and now she's engaged!" They broke apart and spun in a circle then jumped on me and Dex hugging and kissing us and congratulating us and hoping us many happy days. I hugged my friends and everyone hugged or kissed me or gave me noogies(Blue Elf!) while Dex's hand was being shaken and his back patted. Dex told them that we didn't have any specific plans.

"But we are going to be thinking about holding the celebration as soon as Dregon is defeated, and Edenoi is free and rebuilt." I nodded in agreement as I went over to Dex and squeezed his hand, excitement was still flowing through me, I wanted to dance, sing, do something to express my happiness. _Maybe Goldar or Divatox will attack Angel Grove._ I thought with a smirk. They wanted to know where we were going to have the wedding.

"On Edenoi." I said. Kimberly stopped and blinked.

"You're going to have your wedding on...." I nodded.

"Yeah." Kimberly, at first was excited because, other than me and Kat she had never been to Edenoi. Billy wanted to see a couple of Dex's friends again.

"You know the ones that attacked us when we first went there?" Dex had an embarrassed look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm sure that they'll be really glad to see you guys again. And I'm looking forward to all of you meeting my grandfather face to face. Speaking of which...." he placed two fingers on the sides of his head and summoned his crystal.

"I hope grandfather isn't too busy." he said as he began to concentrate. I let out a nervous laugh, I was hoping of telling dad when the time was right, presumably after all the wars were won and finished. Dex's grandfather appeared and Dex told him the happy news, Lexian was silent for a moment then he smiled. He told both of us that he was happy for the both of us, he was also looking forward to preforming the wedding ceremony.

"It's been a while but I think I remember the correct words." he said with a smile. Both edenoites saw the look of confusion on all of our faces, Dex explained that on Edenoi it was the former king's duty to preform the wedding ceremony as well as to pass down the crown to the next king. It took a while for my friends and I to react to this, we had completely forgotten that Dex was next in line for the throne _and since Dex is going to become King Dex of Edenoi that will make me....oh my god!_ Kim let out a squeal of excitement and Blue Elf began to bow and curtsy before me laughing while the others wore bewildered looks on their faces, they turned to me and were looking at me as if I had already been crowned.....uh.....

"Wow! Amy...I c–can't believe that you're going to be..." said Tommy. The others nodded faintly.

"Yeah," said Billy softly. I began to panic, already thinking that once I was crowned....I would be treated differently not like a friend or a person but like......a queen. I asked my friends that even when I was....royalty to treat me like....like they have always treated me. I'm pretty sure that they noticed the freaked out look on my face for they quickly agreed. I let out a sigh of gratitude and thanked my friends then turned back to Le—uh....Grandfather. He smiled and said that I'll get used to being called Queen in due time. I laughed nervously. _Even thinking about it is giving me goose bumps. _Dex put an arm around me and gave me a reassuring hug.

"Is Zordon there by any chance Grandfather?"

"He's resting right now Dex, but as soon as he awakens I'll tell him the good news." I winced wondering about his reaction that his one and only daughter was engaged at the age of seventeen. _At least dad is resting, which will probably give me enough time to panic about his reaction, oh, I need to go and tell mom._

"Thank you Grandfather." I said to him. He seemed delighted that I had called him that for he dipped his head, told us once again how happy he was and was looking forward to celebrating a happy occasion for a change then he vanished.

A few weeks passed and Angel Grove received multiple attacks from both Divatox and Goldar. The rookies would do alright when facing Divatox's monsters and henchmen but when they faced Goldar's crew....they pretty much got their butts handed to them. Justin still refused to believe that a mere space monkey in black armor with a super powerful staff could _ever_ defeat the Power Rangers. I seriously thought that maybe that last punch that Goldar gave him must have addled Justin's brain or something. He kept asking Dimitria and A-6 when they were going to be handed their new powers. When both of them asked what he was talking about Justin related to them what I had told him, I interjected saying that while Goldar _was technically _a new enemy to the rookies, but he was an old enemy to me.

"I've fought him a thousand times, I know all of his moves, I know how to dodge and block his attacks, even if he has been training before he returned, I've got a new fighting style as well, so in battle, the both of us are evenly matched in strength and in speed. So really, Justin, I really don't think that you guys will need new powers _or _zords.If Goldar or the Tengu show up, I'll take care of them." I looked at him then glanced at Dimitria and said with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Besides I don't think that Zordon or Tentomon had anything else in reserve, the Turbo powers were the last thing that he gave us." Justin scowled. It seemed that he was looking forward to gaining new and cooler powers.

"Yo! It sounds as if _you_ did know that he was going to come back." A-6 snapped.

"I had a hunch, and in my experiences they were always right. Why do you think I stepped up the Rangers training and that of my own when Goldar began to make appearances all over Angel Grove?" I looked down at Justin. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I just thought that you and the others thought that this Goldar dude was going to join up with Divatox and make her more of a threat." I stopped myself from snorting. _Divatox a threat? Gimme a break._ But I only shook my head.

"If I know Goldar, he's never going to join up with her, I think we all know what he thinks of her and her "weakling monsters", we all saw for ourselves in the last couple of battles."

"How do you know so much about Goldar?" asked Dimitria.

"I've been fighting the guy for a few years now, you get to know a person's character after a few times of meeting on the battlefield."

"Yes, but there are times when you sound as if _you_ yourself have fought by his side." I stared at her. _She couldn't possibly have known....._ I laughed. Over time Dimitria has been speaking like a normal person, but she still couldn't _or wouldn't_ give us advice when we needed it.

"Of course not! What ever gave you that silly idea? Me? A former ally of Goldar? Yeah right."I hoped that I sounded convincing to Dimitria as well as to the rookies. They were outsiders and outsiders would notice something......not right with a team mate and start to ask questions. Not only have Dimitria and A-6 been asking questions about my vast knowledge of the workings of the evil mind but so was Cassie. _And here I thought that the rookies wouldn't even notice but they have. _Unexpectedly I began to think about Kat and how she viewed me after I began to ask questions about her time as "Zedd's and Rita's prisoner" when she was underneath Rita's spell. _She saw me just as I see Cassie now, a person that saw things that nobody else did, a person that asked too many questions and would eventually find out the truth_, _a threat._ _Amy, that's ridiculous. She's your team mate. There is no way that she or A-6 or Dimitria will ever find out about your past, they've only known you for a few weeks and besides they don't exactly act real chummy with you, not like Tommy and the others. How can they ever find out?_

A few days later I was at the cemetery talking to my mom and step-dad and raking away the dead leaves that had fluttered down from the trees that surrounded the cemetery. Even though I have been coming here for the past two years to get away for a bit and express my uncertainty about the rookie rangers, mostly about whether they were really up to the challenge of fighting off two maniacs who wanted to destroy Angel Grove and my constant worry that Justin's belief that just because he's a Power Ranger, nothing can hurt him and that he can survive any and all onslaughts that Divatox and Goldar throw at him, I was still worried that Justin was going to get himself killed someday. _I wish that he could see the danger of thinking that way and that not all attacks are on the body. _I sighed as I brushed leafs from the top of my mother's tombstone. I looked around, the only people I saw were some little kids playing in the little playground, their parents were sitting a few feet away from them, but every so often they would cast a nervous glance around as if afraid that they were going to get attacked. I saw a couple of joggers and dog walkers walking or jogging past the cemetery, they sped past the cemetery then continued at their own pace once they reached the other side. _I guess they still remember the day that I killed Zedd in front of the cemetery, they must think that if they hang around too long he'll be resurrected or something._ With that thought, my mind turned back to that very day and the moment when Goldar picked up Zedd's body and took off. I knew that even with the power from Zedd's staff, Lord Zedd can never be resurrected but still there is always that fear.....

Over time I began to notice that I was the only one in the cemetery, it would usually be empty whenever I would come to visit my parents_. I must be the only one that visits the people in this cemetery....the people here must be lonely. _If I told this to any of my friends they would have dubbed me insane. I glanced toward Aisha's tombstone. _Before they start calling me loony they should at _least _visit Aisha's grave once in a while. _Sometimes if I had more problems then I could handle and didn't want to over burden my parents, I would limp over to Aisha's and ask for her advice on this or that subject, not that I got any answers but it gave me a slight comfort knowing that _at least _one of her team mates was visiting her plus I was keeping her up to date on the ongoing battle with evil. I gave a wave to my parents telling them that I would see them next Friday after work.

"Bye mom, See ya Jared." I turned and began to limp out of the cemetery, hit the sidewalk and started for home when I heard someone call my name from behind me. Turning I was surprised to see Justin jogging toward me.

"Hey Amy."

"Hi Justin." I smiled at him, _must have stayed after school_. I thought. The sun was beginning to set in the sky turning it orange but with plenty of blue.

"Everything alright?" I asked as the both of us made our way further from the cemetery. He nodded.

"Yeah, I just came from school, had to work on this science project. It's a little hard but I know that I'm going to get a good grade once its finished." He glanced back at the cemetery.

"I saw you coming out of the cemetery_, _who were you visiting?" I stared at him. Thinking that I was angry at him, he ducked his head and averted his eyes.

"I'm sorry, that was dumb of me. You don't have to answer, I mean cause it must be private and all....." I smiled. Justin acted like such a little grown up most of the time, seeing him blush and hearing him stumble in embarrassment like this reminded me that even though he had a very high IQ he was still a little kid, a thirteen year old, full of curiosity.

"It's okay Justin, you were bound to find out one day." he looked up at me relieved that I wasn't angry with him.

"I was visiting my parents." He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me, I stopped also and looked back at him. He began to move and so did I, soon he caught up with me.

"Y–you're parents?" I nodded, I had a slight smile on my face.

"So you–you're..."

"An orphan yeah, its okay. You can say it if you want." He looked at me for a full minute.

"How did it.....? I mean.....what happened?" Suddenly he looked down again when I didn't answer.

"I'm sorry...you—you probably don't want to talk about it." I looked at him, seeing a bench nearby I gestured toward it, walking over to the bench we sat down. From out of my purse I took out a candy bar, broke it in half and offered the second piece to Justin. He took it slowly, still not meeting my gaze.

"Believe it or not, it _does_ help to talk about something terrible that happened in your life....even though it's still painful. Mind you, I don't tell everyone that I meet that I'm an orphan." I turned and grinned at him, he was still not facing me. He nibbled on his candy piece, finally after a moment or two he asked in a low voice.

"How....did...uh..... it....?" I shifted in my seat and crossed my legs. I thought that I should tell the story that I had believed for two years. I ate a piece of my candy bar and began.

"I was a rookie Ranger like T.J. and the others." Justin looked up at me startled.

"Yep, even this old veteran was a rookie once." I smiled at him.

"When I woke up that morning I knew that something bad was going to happen, I begged my mom to let me stay home, even though I had classes plus a make up test in math. Still I asked her. I just had this feeling." My voice caught in my throat, pain flared in chest, but I continued.

"My mother wouldn't hear of it, said that everything was going to fine. Then Kimberly came by to pick me up and the both of us went to school. I contacted Zordon and told him to keep an eye on my house and my parents and to call me if anything happened to them." I paused remembered how I had blamed dad and the others. I swallowed.

"Something did happen, Lord Zedd, Goldar's former master, attacked my house with a horde of Tengu. T–Tommy and the others were called and tried to defend the house....but Zedd put some sort of force field around himself so that no one could stop him from going into the house." I looked down at my hands. I felt tears streaming down my cheeks I sniffed.

"Did Zordon try to contact you or any of the others?" asked Justin in a horrified whisper. I nodded.

"Yeah they tried to but something blocked the signal. Tentomon thought that Zedd must have scrambled the signal waves so that I couldn't be contacted. By the time that I got out of school and had ran back to my house......" my voice trailed off. I wiped the tears from my eyes. Justin looked at me, I glanced at him and saw that tears were also shining in his eyes.

"Did Zordon or the others manage to contact you?" I shook my head.

"I–I just felt this pain in my chest and I just knew that....ya know....she..."

"And the others couldn't get to them in time?" I shook my head.

"No, Zedd's magic was very powerful back then. None of us could break through even if we tried." Justin saw my hands clench into tight fists. I remembered my anger, hatred and vow of vengeance._ If Goldar does manage to bring Zedd back from the dead, I'll be able to show him how much stronger I've become._

"W–when did this...?"

"When I was fifteen." Justin stared.

"Yeah, I know. Too young to lose my parents, a lot of people kept telling me that after it had happened."

"You still miss them?"

"Yeah, more and more now that I'm living my own life." I glance down at my engagement ring and touched it softly.I thought sadly of all that my parents were missing. _Even going to visit them and telling them about it isn't enough any more, I wish they were here to experience it._ I closed my eyes and wiped more tears from my eyes. Justin looked at me.

"Do you know why....um...?" I shook my head.

"No, we never found out. And during my one on one battle with Zedd he never told me, and now that he's dead. I guess we'll never really know the reason why he killed my parents." I looked out onto the street where cars flew by. Justin was silent, after a while I stood up.

"Come on. I'll walk you home you don't want to worry your dad." Silently Justin stood up and followed me. For several blocks we were both silent, I began to remember the times where my mother would want chatter, laugher, or music to fill the air and house. She didn't like silence. Even during car rides she would always want the car to be filled with noise, back then I preferred silence, because all that noise sometimes gave me a headache. _How did mom stand all that noise like twenty four hours a day?_ Now I would give anything to hear my mother say "Amy, turn on the radio, its too quiet in here." I looked down at Justin, he was staring straight ahead. _Probably thinking about the fact that he might lose his dad in the cross fire_ _one day_. I tried to snap him out of it.

"So, how do like being a Power Ranger so far with the new team and everything?" I hadn't thought of asking how he felt when Tommy and the others retired, so _this is a good time as any_. He looked up at me relief on his face as the conversation chased away horrible memories and thoughts of losing a parent.

"Well, the other Rangers could use a bit more training, ya know so they can keep up with Goldar and those turkeys the Tengu Warriors. But all in all they're doing alright."

"That's good to hear."

"And well....Dimitria is a little......well...she's cool and everything but she's....."

"I understand." I said to him with a smile. "What about A-6 how do you like him?"

"He's like an annoying big brother to tell the truth." I burst out laughing.

"An annoying big brother? That's the exact way I would describe him myself. Sarcastic..."

"Moody..."

"And with an attitude to boot." We both said at the same time laughing.

"How about being a Ranger? You must be feeling overwhelmed with two villains attacking Angel Grove and wanting to kill us." he looked at me and shook his head. _How surprising._

"I'm not overwhelmed at all, in fact I think that its exciting to have two villains attack the city at the same time, it keeps everyone on their toes and its fun." I turned my head and stared at him. _Fun? He thinks that it's fun?_ I was about to open my mouth and try to talk some sense into him when he suddenly voiced how he loved being a Turbo Ranger.

"It's so fun, it's so exciting. A lot more cooler then my old boring life. Man, if I had known that you can become a Power Ranger, I would have joined sooner. I can't help but think about all that I missed. Battles with Zedd, King Mondo and Prince Gasket, oh....." He had a look of longing on his face. I stared at him incredulously. _Being a Power Ranger is fun and exciting? It's a lot more better than his old boring life? Am I hearing correctly? _I had thought( and hoped) that with the ferocity of Goldar's attacks plus the strength of his power, Justin would be humbled a bit, knowing that Goldar could injure us greatly, apparently he still thought that we couldn't get seriously injured. Didn't _he learn anything when he was thrown into that windshield?_ Justin began to actually talk about wanting to battle Goldar in the zords.

"I hope he's as powerful as a giant as well." _Apparently he sees Goldar as a god send. Has he been getting bored with Divatox? Is that why he saw Goldar as exciting and challenging? _Struggling to control my voice I told Justin that Goldar may not know how to make himself grow zord size.

"Only Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa knew how to tap into the dark magic that allowed their monsters to grow."

"Goldar could know, he could teach himself how to work the spell or whatever is it that makes the monsters grow." I didn't answer, there was no way that I was going to tell Justin that, that was also another one of my worries. _But Goldar doesn't need to be twenty feet tall to try to do us in, he's already doing a bang up job of nearly killing us when he's normal sized._ Yet that thought did little to comfort me. I still couldn't use my full power against him and I was getting more and more afraid that the others would get killed in an attack and it would be my fault because I didn't go all out. I was startled out of my thoughts when Justin asked me something.

"Do you like being a Ranger?" I looked down at him, he had an expected look on his face. _He wants me to say that I also enjoy the excitement and adventure that comes with being a Ranger. _Although I had to admit that I did enjoy kicking alien butt and meeting new people and stepping out of my safe little world, on the other hand, being a Ranger has brought me more pain than I could ever imagine. So I decided to be honest with the boy.

"Well....sometimes I like it but there are times that I hate it." We had arrived at his house, Justin stopped and stared at me. _Is she joking? What's to hate? Being a Power Ranger rocks!_ He voiced these thoughts out loud. I gave a sigh and was reminded of what dad had told me "Amy you're young and you do not have the full experiences of a Ranger" _Justin's the same way_. _With time he will realize that being a ranger is not all fun and games. Let's hope. _I thought to myself as I smiled down at Justin, patted him on the head and began to limp home.

Later that night as I was getting ready for bed, I received a call from Justin's dad. He sounded frantic and panicky. After trying for several minutes to calm him down what he told me froze the blood in my veins. Justin had been kidnaped.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

As soon as I found out that Justin was kidnaped, I grabbed my coat and hurried over to his house. His dad and a group of policemen were there, including Lt. Stone, I hadn't seen him since my parents murder. I was told what had happened. Mr. Stewart(Justin's dad) had sent his son to the nearby store to get some carpet cleaner which should have at least taken about fifteen minutes, when the fifteen minutes had passed and Justin didn't show up, Mr. Stewart had thought that Justin had stopped by a friend's hours to say hello or at the library to get some more books for school.

"He was working on a science project and was almost finished with it, and I figured that he needed to do a bit more research." An hour had passed, then two then three and still no Justin. Mr. Stewart had gotten worried and had begun to make phone calls to everyone he and Justin knew, he even tried to retrace Justin's steps and asked people on the street if they had seen his son. But no one had. When he had returned home, he had hoped that Justin would be there with an apology about coming home late, but it was false hope. Justin hadn't returned. So Mr. Stewart had called the police. They had asked questions and had gone out and began their search for Justin. But there was no sign of him. I placed my hand on Mr. Stewart's shoulder and reassured him that Justin was fine.

"He's a smart kid, if he is in trouble, he'll figure out a way to get out of it." Mr. Stewart smiled up at me I was glad that I made him feel a bit better, then I turned to Lt. Stone.

"Have you found any clues that might lead you to the boy's kidnappers?" I asked him as Mr. Stewart got up and went into the kitchen. _Probably to brew some coffee._ I felt sorry for the poor guy._ He must be going absolutely crazy with worry._ Lt. Stone looked at me, despite the seriousness of the current situation he smiled and said in a light voice

"That's a pretty cop like question coming from a civilian." I smiled despite myself. Then I became serious again.

"You haven't found any have you?" Lt. Stone's smile faded, he shook his head.

"No, we haven't. We used dogs, but the they keep losing the scent. I'm pretty sure that he must have been picked up by someone in a car. We've asked around, but no one seems to remember seeing a boy walking down the street and being picked up by someone." I thought about it then shook my head.

"That doesn't seem possible."

"I know, a kidnaping in broad daylight and no one notices?" _It's happened. _I thought as I remembered my own kidnaping, _and those were mostly back when I was working for Zedd._ I turned back to Lt. Stone

"No, I mean if anything, Justin would have been able to run away or at least try to fight whoever took him. He knows martial arts, Tommy and Rocky both taught him." Lt. Stone looked thoughtful himself then said.

"Maybe whoever took him over powered him somehow....." When he saw me shake my head he stopped and looked at me, anger in his eyes.

"Amy you're not really helping here." Then he noticed the dreamy look on my face.

"Amy? You alright?"

_Yes....someone could have over powered him, it would have been a very big person, if that did happen then why didn't Dimitria alert us? Unless the kidnapper wasn't human, whoever took him could have blocked the sensors so that the kidnaping wouldn't even be picked up._ My heart began to pound as the horrible thought crossed my mind, _but which one of our home town villains kidnaped Justin? _I looked up at Lt. Stone.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I stood up, feeling that I had to get out there and try to think. Mr. Stewart came in with a couple of cups of coffee, his eyes were red. My insides tighten, I began to hope and pray that what I thought was completely wrong, that it had been a human that had kidnaped Justin, but whenever I wanted to be wrong about something, I turned out to be right. I thanked Lt. Stone for telling me all that had happened and bade both of them goodnight and good luck I also reassured that Justin would return safely. Mr. Stewart looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"I hope so, I pray to god that he does." Then I left. I limped down the street, planning on going over the route that Justin took and see if I could pick up a couple of clues, _maybe I'll find something that the police missed. _The moon was shining overhead, casting Angel Grove in its light. I looked up at it and thought _how I wish things were peaceful here like they appeare to be up there._ I refocused on the ground and continued to search. All around me Angel Grove was sleeping peacefully, with no worries or cares. _Hard to believe that I used to be one of them._ I thought as I limped to the store near Justin's house, but I didn't see a thing, no clues, or signs of battle, nothing. Not even when I lit up a power ball which cast a soft yellow light on the ground, I still didn't see anything. I reached the store which was still open, I went past it still looking for clues, but all I found was diddly. Somewhere in front of me a car's alarm blared and I jumped, quickly extinguishing my light and was instantly plunged in semi-darkness, the only light was coming from the various street lights that were at least five feet away from each other and the store lights which were being turned off by the owners as closing time neared. I frowned slightly as I spun and began to limp back the way I had come. _No clues, no signs of battle or a scuffle. _I had reached my apartment and went up the stairs. I teleported to the Power Chamber and told Dimitria what had gone on, hoping that the sensors had picked up something, an image or a sound. But they hadn't, Dimitria nor A-6 didn't even know that Justin had been kidnaped! Now I was really worried. _Whoever took Justin was powerful enough to block the Power Chambers sensors so that they couldn't even pick up on the kidnaping. _I rolled over on my side in my bed and faced the window and stared out at it. _What if we never find him? What if he's transported to some faraway planet with no way to get home? Why didn't I pick up on this? I should have sensed something!! I should have! I promised Kat that I would keep an eye on him! _I turned once again so that I was lying on my back. _I pray that we find him._

The next morning before I went off to school I called Mr. Stewart and asked about the search.

"No, the police haven't found him yet. I'm getting more and more worried that t–they may never...." His voice broke.

"Mr. Stewart., don't give up. Justin will be found." I said firmly.I tried to think of more reassuring things to say but my mind was a blank_, _so instead after a few moments of silence I said a soft good bye then hung up the phone and just stood there for a while staring at it. Then with my legs and feet feeling as if they were made of lead, I limped to the door and set off for school. The hallways were buzzing with news of Justin's disappearance, I scanned the crowd of kids that were in huddles, looking for the familiar faces of my friends, even though they no longer attended Angel Grove High, all the same I felt disappointed that they weren't there. _Maybe they've already heard and are in the Power Chamber looking for Justin. _I was about to call the Power Chamber when the bell rang, signaling the start of classes. It felt strange, you would think that everything would stop when someone you know had been kidnaped but nothing hadn't, life like people went on. Divatox saw that we were one ranger short and thought that we were easily defeat able......I proved her wrong. Thanks to the battle and the way that Elgar and the others reacted to their being only four Rangers(the Blue Centurion was busy helping the police find Justin) I had a pretty good idea that Divatox, in fact did not kidnap Justin. Which left Goldar. And the sad truth was.....I was right. As I went to my locker to retrieve the books that I would have to study, a note fell out and fluttered to the floor. Squatting down, I opened it up and froze. _Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no oh no!!!! _

_**I have the brat, if you would like to see him and acknowledge your worst fears come to the Angel Grove woods at five p.m. Come alone and leave everything behind.**_

_**Goldar**_

I stared at the note, the blood was roaring in my ears, blocking all the sound around me, all sense of thought except for one. _Goldar has Justin_. Then another thought forced itself into my mind even more startling than the first._ My worst fears? How can he know what my worst fears are? _My communicator beeped startling me, I fell onro my backside, the note fluttered out of my hand. I turned and scrambled after it as it seemed to dance out of my reach, I pictured Goldar laughing at me as again and again I reached out and tried to grab the note but the breeze from the open front doors of the school and the wind creating by the passing students moving toward the front doors, to their lockers, or to detention kept the note out of my reach. Finally throwing caution to the wind I concentrated and the note stopped in mid- flutter and zoomed into my hand. I scrambled to my feet and limped as fast as I could to the girls' bathroom, at that moment I really didn't care if someone had seen me use my powers, all I cared right now was showing this to my friends and thinking up of a plan to get Justin back.

At the Power Chamber the entire team was there including Tommy and the others. _Mr. Stewart must have called Blue Elf while he was calling around in his search for his son, he must have alerted the others._ A wave of relief went through me, I felt a lot more confident hat we would rescue Justin now that my friends were here. I showed them the note and looked up half expecting (and wishing) to see my dad there. But no I saw Dimitria looking down at me. And I couldn't help but feel more disappointed and more worried at how all of this was going to turn out. Tommy handed it to T.Jwho read it, disbelief on his face.

"How did Goldar get Justin? Why weren't we alertedwhen it all went down?"He looked accusingly up at Dimitria as though blaming her. I spoke up.

"Goldar must have overpowered Justin with his Tengu," Cassie shook her head hard.

"No! He could have morphed, fought back, beaten them." I glanced at my friends.

"Its happened, the Tengu are more stronger then when my friends and I faced them." Tommy nodded.

"Why didn't the sensors pick up the Tengu when they appeared in Angel Grove? Why weren't we alerted?" asked T.J again, there was growing anger in his face and vioce. I explained how the staff could blocktheViewing Globe from seeing attacks or kidnapings, _or murders._ I thought privately. I turned to Tommy who was pacing back and forth, obviously trying to think of a plan even through he and the others weren't active Rangers any more, still I appreciated it, it felt like old times again. At the same time, it comforted me. Tommy had a thoughtful and frustrated look on his face as if he were dismissing plans and trying to think of new ones but it looked as if he were dismissing those as well, the others were trying to think of plans to rescue Justin as well, but it looked as if they weren't having much better luck. I knew what they were thinking, they were thinking of me going to the woods and possibly distracting Goldar long enough for my team mates to go in and grab Justin, but what if Goldar unleashed his power? They could all be killed easily! Every plan that we went through ended with Goldar noticing the other Rangers, using his powers on all of us and us becoming dead. Tommy stopped pacing and stared at all of us.

"There's no other way around it.....what time is it?" I glanced at my watch and was amazed at how much time had flown by, it seemed only minutes had passed but it had been a full two hours! And it was ten to five. Tommy nodded in a solemn kind of way when I told him.

"Okay." He took a deep breath.

"Ames.....I want to go and meet Goldar in the woods_. _The others and I will be standing by and......"

"Yo! In case you've forgotten you guys aren't....." But Tommy cut off A-6 with a glare, A-6 fell silent.

"Dimitria and Alpha will be standing by to get the both of you out of there." Dimitria spoke up.

"But what if Goldar blocks the Teleportation System so that we can not teleport Justin or Amy here?" I glanced at Tommy_, _he had a determined look on his face.

"Look, we'll know where you guys are, we...I mean...T.J and the others will try a sneak attack and try to get Justin and you out of there. Agreed?" The rest of us nodded. While T.J and the others were locking onto the location where Goldar said for me to met him Tommy pulled me aside, the others followed and we all formed a tight circle, Dimitria was watching was curiously.

"Ames.....man, I wish it was us helping you out here...." The others nodded in agreement concern and worry on their faces.

"I'm started to wish that Zordon were here as well." said Kat with a glance up at Dimitria.

"I know how you feel." I said to her, I touched her arm.

"Don't worry sis_, _I'll bring Justin back, I promise."Tommy looked at me dead in the face.

"Ames if the worst happens.......you know what to do." I nodded though I felt uneasy all the same. _To reveal my powers in front of the rookies, they'll know that mine and Goldar's are the one and the same. Will they see me as a monster? A traitor? No time to worry about that now, your first objective is to get Justin out of Goldar's clutches._ I looked back at Tommy and nodded. He patted me on the back.

"We'll be behind you Ames, remember that." I smiled, then seeing as how it was almost five, I took several steps back from my friends and began to hand over my locket, my sword, which I spirited up, and my morpher, I handed everything to Tommy. I stared at my friends, my eyes only for them.I took a deep breath, wishing that it was my friends that were on active duty again, so that the plan would be to just distract Goldar with a surprise attack and me racing in my morphed state and rescuing Justin....but no matter how I wished that I could do that I couldn't. There would be too many questions, too much too reveal, and right now the Power Rangers needed every team member. I took a deep breath.

"Good luck." Tommy said. I nodded, the others wished me luck as well before I teleported to the woods. I landed outside of the woods and looked around already on the alert. Taking a deep breath, I limped into the woods wondering what state Justin would be in, wondering if Justin was alright, wondering if this entire thing was a trap, what if Goldar didn't have Justin? What if it was Divatox that had him? Although that seemed plausible....that was not how Goldar worked. If he said that he had someone captive, usually someone that I cared about or loved, he had them. I limped deeper into the woods my body tense and my ears strained for the slightest sound of a surprise attack. Without my weapon or power I felt very venerable and fully exposed. I heard something above me stirring, I stopped and looked up and instinctively reached for my sword, but felt nothing, forgetting for a moment that I didn't have any weapon in which to defend myself. Nothing jumped out at me, nothing jumped out to attack me or to drag me to the place where Goldar was waiting for me. _This is all part of his plan. He wants me to jump at each and every sound that this woods give off, so that I'll be unprepared for the real attack that's sure to come my way._ I took a deep breath and continued to limp forward. I stopped at, I was sure, the heart of the woods and yelled up to the sky.

"Goldar!! I'm here!!" I looked around, but Goldar didn't appear, nor did any of the Tengu Warriors. Then without warning I was lifted off my feet, I cried out and began to struggle I focused on trying to break free, but the power that I had stored within my body didn't have enough strength to break me free of the grip that had me, I shot forward.. I zoomed over bushes, through branches of low hanging trees, which whipped and slapped at my face, I was slammed into a number of trees and cried out as the bark scraped against my skin. After crashing into more trees and bushes I stopped flying and was floating in mid air. Opening my eyes I saw Goldar in front of me, one hand was up, and he had a grin on his face, the grin grew wider as he released me and I fell flat on my face on the ground at his feet. The Tengu all cackled as I scrambled to my feet and stood in front of him.

"Are you hurt dear Amy? I guess I have a lot more to learn about controlling the telekinesis part of _my_ power." The Tengu all laughed again.

"Where's Justin? What did you do to him?" I snapped at him, I kept my eyes on Goldar, even though I wanted to look around for Justin, it would mean big trouble for me if I took my eyes off of Goldar and the Tengu Warriors for even a second.

"No need to worry, the brat is fine."

"Let me see him NOW!" Goldar smirked at me.

"Very well then." He turned to a group of Tengu that were behind him.

"Bring the brat." Still cackling several of the Tengu turned and strode off into the woods, I wanted to go after them but I couldn't move, figuratively and physically. For Goldar had raised his hand once again and was holding me captive, my feet were inches off the ground and yet no matter how much I struggled or focused on my power, I couldn't break free, the very little power that I had inside of my own body was nothing compared to Goldar's. I began to wish that _I had_ brought my weapons with me then....I wouldn't be so helpless. He began to walk around me.

"It's been a long time Amy. I see the years have been good to you. I also see that a little bit of Kimberly has rubbed off on you." He stopped in front of me and looked at me up and down.

"Yes, I see that very clearly now, you're no longer the weak little girl that we used to love kicking around. In fact I see a strong, very pretty young woman." I had stopped struggling, more out of surprise then anything else. _Is he hitting on me?_ Behind Goldar the Tengu came back dragging a limp figure that was bound in rope towards us, Goldar turned then with one wave of his hand Justin was jerked to his feet, he let out a moan and lifted up his head to look at me. I let out a gasp of shock. Justin....he appeared to be alright, in fact there wasn't a scratch on him. But....why did his eyes have such a fearful look in them? His body seemed tense and he seemed to want to curl up into a ball as his eyes rested on Goldar and the Tengu around him. As Goldar approached him, Justin seemed to shrink away from him, then he let out a noise I thought I would never hear come out of his mouth, he began to whimper. Instantly I recognized the body language, the fear, the recoiling. _Its like looking into a mirror. _My heart began to pound fast, but even as I looked over Justin for the marks of physical abuse, I didn't see any. Goldar turned away from Justin and let him fall flat on his stomach, two Tengu picked him up and propped him against a tree. Goldar saw me looking at him.

"You will find no marks of abuse on him Karmer, at least not those that can be seen." I was still floating in the air as Goldar walked over to me and breathed into my face. I forced myself not to turn away, to look into his red eyes.

"You must be asking what have I done to the brat to make him like this? I'll tell you." He paused for effect then said with relish.

"I showed him what a Power Ranger's life is really like." I stared at him. His smile grew wider and it took me a few seconds to figure out which life Goldar had shown Justin.

"Dear god! Goldar you......you.....didn't......you couldn't...he's only a little boy for Christ's sake!" He pretended to look confused.

"Oh, but I thought that you wanted for little Justin to know the harsh reality that is to be a Ranger, I thought you wanted him to stop thinking that being a Ranger was all fun and games. That being a Ranger meant that you weren't invincible, that you weren't all powerful. The way I see it, I did you a favor by showing Justin here, the _real_ danger. The danger of losing one's family for instance, the danger of losing one's mind, or and my personal favorite, the danger of being captured and tortured and not for information, oh no no no, but just for the fun of it." The Tengu cackled, Goldar smiled at me while the blood boiled in my veins and in my ears. _All those times, all those god for-saken times....._ I glared at him, hating him even more. He continued.

"Then I figured that all of that wouldn't be enough to humble young Justin here, so I thought of the next best thing....pain. Ah yes.....all the pain that you and you alone have endured over the years that you've been a Power Ranger. Of course King Mondo and Prince Gasket never gave you that much, sad to say, so I focused on the pain that my former master gave you." My face went pale.

"No." The word came out in a whisper. Goldar grinned at me and nodded.

"Yes, we actually went down memory lane and went through each and every punishment that you endured, oh..it was great fun. In fact I've almost forgotten what we used to do to you when you failed in your.....ahem.... job." My body began to tremble uncontrollably as my mind began to replay all that I suffered at the hands of Goldar, Rito Revolto, Lord Zedd and the Tengu. _Oh god, Justin. He possible couldn't have had the strength to deal......_ Justin was staring at me, I turned away feeling sick, silently begging the others to appear and to help us, to get us out of here. I didn't want to hear anymore but Goldar continued.

"Ashamed are we? Regretting that Justin was never told what a Ranger goes through when faced with a _real _threat? Oh Amy, I'm wounded. I thought for sure that you would thank me for showing Justin all of this, why he no longer thinks that being a Power Ranger is fun and exciting, he sees it as you see it. Full of danger, grief, betrayal and lies. I have just showed Justin the truth. Aren't you glad? Isn't this what you wanted?" I chanced a peek at Justin, he was staring at me, a mixture of disbelief and shock on his face, he began to shake his head back and forth.

"Didn't you, Amy Karmer, want Justin to stop viewing the role of being a Power Ranger as every kid's dream come true? Didn't you want Justin to see that it wasn't all fun and games? Didn't you want him to see the role of being a Power Ranger for what it truly is?" _I didn't want this! I didn't want him to see or feel what I had gone through, I didn't want him to.....oh god...Kat's never going to forgive me._ Tears were streaming down my cheeks. _Never in a million years would I want another person to go through what I went through_. In the back of my mind a tiny thought presented itself. _How did he know? How did Goldar know how Justin viewed the role of being a Ranger? The only people that I told were Dex and my earth parents. And I know for a fact that Goldar wasn't anywhere near the cemetery._ As if reading my thoughts Goldar grinned and said.

"How I came upon the information is for me to know, and for you to never find out." He looked at the staff and then looked at me.

"Why I do believe that I am running low on power. Tengus where might I find a source of power to re-energize my staff, no matter how little it is?" He looked around at the Tengu Warriors, who all cackled. He turned toward me and my blood ran cold,_ I know that look, that's the same look he gave me when he entered my cage so that he could reward me for killing Aisha. _I began to struggle frantically not wanting to endure the pain, not wanting Justin to see, praying to god that this was just a huge nightmare that I was having, and that I would wake up soon in the safety of my own bed, back in my own little world when I have never known of this kind of danger, this kind of pain, wanting all of it to end, wanting to......to...never have accepted the Yellow Ranger Power Coin. But the nightmare was all too real, and so was the pain of having what little power that was in my body being extracted. Justin and I were both screaming at the same time and it seemed to go on and on and did Goldar's laughter.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

As I lay on the ground screaming while my power was taken from me, I found myself thinking of my mother and my father, how I was born a half alien and how I was born with powers that have been used for both good and evil._ My powers. All of this....it all boils down to having these stupid powers_, _if it weren't for me being a half alien and having these powers none of this would be happening. I never would have made that bargain with Zedd, I never would have killed Aisha, I never would have accepted the Yellow Ranger Power Coin, my parents would still be alive, I wouldn't have to suffer all of this, the beatings, the torture, the guilt. I would have never have turned against Zedd to begin with if I was just a normal kid_. In my mind's eye I saw my parents standing above me, looking down at me. Anger and rage filled me, I have never have hated my parents so much!!

"I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO ME GIVE THIS POWER?

WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST LET ME A NORMAL KID? I WAS HAPPY NOT KNOWING ABOUT ANY OF THIS. WHY DID YOU........" I began to weep.

"Why couldn't you have just let me be normal? Why? Why?" My tears slid down my cheeks and into the leaves that were underneath me. I didn't even notice that the pain had stopped and that Goldar and the Tengu had left. I was focused on the anger and rage toward my parents. _It's all their fault, why did they have to give me this power? Why couldn't have dad given it to mom then she would have been able to save herself and my step dad on that day._ _Then she would still be alive and none of this would be HAPPENING!!!_ _My life would be totally different._ _Everyone's lives would have been totally different if it weren't for my power. Everyone's. Oh god. Justin_. I suddenly remembered where I was, some of my anger vanished while I struggled to my feet. But the pain in my body was intense, well....it had been a while since my power had been extracted from me by force. Anyway, I managed to get to my feet wincing as I staggered forward, my knees gave out and I fell on the ground. I lay there for a moment, exhausted from screaming, pain coming in waves over me. I began to crawl toward Justin. He was curled into a ball and was crying, I reached out a hand to touch him, to let him know that I was here, that everything was going to be okay.....but deep down I knew that everything _was_ not okay. Would never again be okay.

The others were able to teleport to the spot where we were, and picking us up, we were taken back to the Power Chamber. Justin was still curled into a ball and whimpered whenever someone tried to touch him. Finally Tommy intervened and stepped in front of Carlos and gave him a gentle push back.

"Let him be." He said quietly and firmly. Carlos glared at him and was about to side step him, but Tommy once again blocked him.

"Leave him alone." He said again with a touch of anger in his voice. After a few moments of glaring at him Carlos backed off. For once A-6 stayed silent as I was laid down on the medical table beside Justin, who was lain down on another one, I was checked over by Kat. While she was bending over me I gazed into her face, a face that I had once loathed and hated but now cherished and loved. Tears were streaming down my face as I looked into hers, I turned away.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

"Amy, its not your fault." She whispered while laying a cool hand on my forehead. I let out a sob.

"Yes it is." Tommy and the others who were standing across the room from us and watching stepped forward and said that questioning Justin and I on what had happened in the woods can wait.

"Right now Amy needs to rest and Justin has to go home to his dad." Blue Elf, Adam and Kat nodded in agreement. A-6 finally broke his silence.

"Who do you think you-----?" But Tommy had whirled on him, anger flashing from his eyes. He took a step forward, his hands balled into fists, it took all of his self-control to not to unleash a Power Blast at A-6 and shut him up and his sarcastic remarks for good. A-6 took a step back seeing the rage in Tommy's eyes and face, T.J. and the others shrank back also.

"These two will be questioned tomorrow. " Said Tommy in a low and angry voice.

"No one and I mean no one will question them. If anyone does, they'll answer to me." Kat, after hesitating, stepped forward and placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder. She took a deep breath and spoke quietly, behind her Blue Elf and Adam were helping to my feet even though they were gentle, I was still wincing in pain.

"We got you Short Stuff."

"Lean on me Amy."

"Tommy, the police and Justin's dad will want to know what happened to Justin, one of us is going to have to take him home and explain what happened. Or at least try to." Tommy turned and looked at her, then he glanced back at Justin. Justin let out a moan and covered his face with his hands, tears were streaming down his face. Tommy remembered the last time he had seen that look: I would have that same look on my face whenever I told him about the times that I would be beaten, tortured or had my powers extracted from me. He turned back to Kat.

"We know what happened Kat, but.....we'll get the full story later. Amy needs to rest now." Kat nodded, Tommy turned to T.J and instructed him to send a message to Mr. Stewart that his son is all right but he's suffered at the hands of Goldar.

"Tell him that Justin in our care, and will be returned home, as soon as he has recuperated a bit." T.J. and the others were looking at Tommy, written on their faces were _Who do you think you are? The leader?_ Tommy stared back at all of them, his expression alone gave them the answer. Turning toward the controls he pressed the buttons that allowed us to teleport out of the Power Chamber.

Wincing and in agony I was settled into my bed. Tommy gave out orders.

"Kat, get a bowl of soup ready, Rocky fill up a bowl with ice cold water, and get a cloth and damp it with that, Adam do you have Amy's locket?" Kat and Blue Elf scampered to the kitchen.

"Right here Tommy." Adam handed it to Tommy, he held it over me, my vision was blurry and my body pounded with pain, but I didn't care. I wanted to feel this pain, to feel normal, not have to rely on that...that _thing _to help me. The locket began to glow and I felt the pain recede slightly. _No! No! Get that thing away from me!_ I let out a moan as I began to struggle to get off the bed, to run away from the locket, but I couldn't move. The locket's glow faded, I let out a whimper as the pain returned. Tears were streaming down my eyes as the locket once again glowed above me, I began to shake my head over and over.

"No! I don't want.....Tommy don't please!" I moaned. The locket's glow receded then it began to glow again only more brighter this time. I was trying to think of a way to resist the healing glow that would soon wash away the pain, this power that made me feel different, that made me feel alien to those around me.

"What's happening?" Adam asked.

"I don't know, its like she's trying to resist it or something." Tommy said as the locket glowed then receded, glowed then receded. Soon Kat and Blue Elf returned with the soup and the bowl of ice cold water and the rag, all of them watched me as I resisted the healing power. Finally I let out an exhausted sigh, succumbing to the healing power that washed over me, the pain was gone in an instant, I looked at Tommy and the others and their faces began to blur together, then everything went black.

When I woke up, the whole apartment was dark, except for a lamp that was casting yellow light in the room. I sat up, pulled my knees to my chest and stared at the wall in front of me for a while. I shifted a bit and felt something hit my chest. Lifting up my shirt and looking down, I saw that it was my locket. Rage and anger shot through me, I gripped the locket, tore it off and flung it as hard as I could across the room. It hit the wall and fell to the floor, I glared at it hatred and loathing filling me, then as though mad, I leapt off the bed and began to look around for something heavy to destroy it with, to get rid of it once and for all, then I would be normal, I would just be like everyone else, all of the pain, all of this madness, _IT WILL BE OVER IF I DESTROY IT!_ My heart was pounding as if I were running, my entire body was shaking and trembling as I continued to look for something to destroy the locket with, but I didn't find anything!! _Dammit! How can I destroy----Wait! My sword!!_ I summoned my sword, I twirled it expertly. Then I raised it high above my head, focusing all of my strength, not caring what the consequences were, not caring if there _were_ going to be any consequences. _My sword is of Eltar, the power is of Eltar, maybe my sword can kill this power. It will! IT MUST!_ I brought the sword down fast and hard. I was so focused on destroying the locket and ridding myself of my power, that I didn't hear the others come in. They stood in the doorway and were shocked to see me about to destroy the locket that contained the power that helped them defeat Lord Zedd, King Mondo, and Prince Gasket. They dove forward, Tommy knocked the sword out of my hands while it was a few inches from the locket. Kat tackled me and pinned me down while I struggled and kicked, screaming at her, Blue Elf snatched up the locket. They were all staring at me, confusion and shock on their faces, as I began to rant about hating my parents, hating my powers, hating the fact that I was born a half-ling, hating Eltar. I finally threw Kat off of me, Tommy caught her, they stumbled back a few steps.

"You alright?' asked Tommy quietly. Kat looked up at him and nodded. Tommy looked up at me and was shocked to see the rage and hatred on my face, _directed at him._

"You. You're the one that did this to me, you're the one that gave me the Power Cion, you're the one that allowed me to be captured and tortured. .I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" With eyes wild with madness and rage, I flung myself at Tommy, he shoved Kat out of the way and quickly side stepped me, the others scrambled out of the way as I landed turned and flung myself at Tommy. I began to kick and punch him, he blocked and defended himself at every turn which made me even madder. My punches and kicks became more and more frenzied.

"Ames!"

"Amy stop!"

"Short Stuff! Stop it! Its us! Your friends!" But I didn't hear them nor did I see the others as I continued to try and kick Tommy too filled with anger and rage.

"Everyone stay back!" Instructed Tommy as he continued to dodge my punches and kicks, which was pretty easy considering that he was the one that had trained me. In a flash I had switched techniques so that I was using brute force instead of trying to hit a specific spot. My hands had assumed the shape of talons and I was trying to slash at him, he cried out and choked as I managed to knee him in the stomach, I lifted up my hands, both interlocked and brought them down hard on Tommy's back, Tommy went down. _Yes! Yes! Yes! _On my face was a grin of savagery as I kicked him in the face sending him flying, he slammed into the wall. The others cried out and sprang toward me as I began to fling myself on him. Kat and the others tackled me just as I was heading toward my sword. I threw them off easily and had finally reached my sword and picked it up. By this time Tommy had gotten to his feet, and was looking at me as I crouched low sword tightly in hand and leapt at him sword held high. _Make him pay for ruining your life! Make him pay for abandoning you when you needed him the most! Make him pay for allowing all of this to happen. _Tommy dodged my sword by ducking and spinning, the others were shouting at me and pleading with me to stop, but they fell on deaf ears. Tommy leapt and back fliped out of the way. His mind working on how to disarm me, only one option came to mind. _I hope this works._ He thought as he ducked low to avoid getting his head sliced off and at the same time...he powered up. His hands were glowing with red energy. I spun and shot out my leg to deliver a killer head kick, Tommy leapt and unleashed.

"Power Blast!" I cried out as I tried to dodge it but went flying. My sword flew from my hand. In the back of my mind one thought broke through the hatred and pain. _He didn't use his full strength._ I fell just mere inches from the opposite wall. The others ran toward me, Kat knelt beside me and began to call my name, trying to rouse me. Tommy walked over to us and stared down at me. Adam and Blue Elf turned to him shock and anger on their faces.

"Don't worry I didn't use a lot of power, I just knocked her out."

"Just knocked her out??!! Tommy you could have killed her!!" shouted Adam. Blue Elf nodded in agreement. Kat had my head in her lap.

"Look, it was the only way that I could think of to snap her out of......her......mania."

"Yes, but a Power Blast?!"

"You saw how she went for me with her sword? I can't stand up to that, not as Tommy," Adam fell silent, finally he nodded though he thought that there could have been another way to disarm me. They moved me to the bed, applied a wet cloth to my forehead and debated on whether or not they should use the locket's healing powers to awaken me.

"We have to get answers about what happened to Justin.....everybody ready?" The others nodded and stood ready to grab me if I started to attack them again. Tommy took a deep breath and with a final look at the others he held the locket over me and let the healing glow wash over me. As the glow faded, I stirred and opened my eyes, and was surprised to see my friends standing over me with worried and scared expressions on their faces.

"Hey guys." I said to them. My friend's faces relaxed. _It looks as if she's back to normal._ Thought Adam with a sigh of relief, the enraged me had scared the living daylights out of him. I sat up and looked around. _My apartment!_ It was trashed! I looked at the mess, my lamp had been over turned, everything on my dresser drawers were scattered though out the room, there appeared to be sword marks on the walls and in my carpet. I slowly pulled off the covers, swung my legs out of bed and stood up and stared around.

"You guys." I turned to them a bewildered look on my face.

"What happened? Was there a battle? Why wasn't I alerted?" My friends looked at each other. Blue Elf took a deep breath and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go into the kitchen Short Stuff." The others followed. They told me what had happened, at first disbelief and shock ran through me, I was just....unable to wrap my mind around the fact that I would actually attack and try to kill my best friend not to mention try and destroy the very thing that has kept my friends and I alive during war after war after war. But the really bad thing was that I was starting to remember everything. The look of shock on Tommy's face when I had screamed at him, when I had leapt at him. And how I had begun to attack him when my martial arts had proved useless, _I started to attack him like.....like....like the monster that I used to be! Oh god, I hope that none of them recognized....._ Adam snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Amy I......know you must be asking yourself this but.....why did you....?" I bit my lower lip and for a while I didn't say anything, then taking a deep breath

"I...I guess everything that's happened, all of the pain that we've gone through, that I've gone through.....I must have finally snapped. I just started blaming everything.....my parents, my power, that fact that I'm half- human......you." I looked up at Tommy, suddenly I grabbed both of his hands, pleading with my eyes for mercy.

"Tommy....I.....I can't believe what I nearly did! I can't believe that I attacked you. And those things that I said.....Tommy, I'm so so sorry......I don't know if you can ever forgive for....." tears were streaming down my eyes and my shoulders began to shake. Tommy gave my hands a squeeze and when I looked into his face, I was surprised to see understanding in his eyes, Blue Elf and Adam had sympathy in their eyes as well.

"Amy....we forgive you. All of us do. We've been there. Being a Ranger....it can totally mess you up." said Adam softly. Blue Elf nodded.

"Yeah after Aisha died and when you came on the team....I hated Zordon for replacing her with you so fast, and I.....I kind of hated you from the beginning. There were a couple of times when I wanted to lash out at you and Zordon...but now I'm glad that he _did_ choose you. And I'm pretty sure that Aisha must have helped also. Because you have become one of my very best friends."

"Not to mention a pretty damn good Ranger, who have saved us countless of times." Tommy said.

"Yeah, if it weren't for you...probably none of us would be here right now." said Blue Elf. He looked down at his hands.

"I-I'm glad that Zordon choose you." Adam and Tommy both nodded, I felt warmth spread though out my body. Kat laid her hand on my shoulder, I turned to her and smiled, I shared that smile with the others.

"You guys...thank you." I choked out, emotion rising within me.

"Think nothing of it Ames." said Tommy, he patted my hand. Tommy said that in the morning we'll all go to the Power Chamber to question Justin about what had happened to him, we all nodded, even though I didn't want to. _I don't even want to hear what Goldar put Justin through, but maybe we can repair the damage, I hope. _I bade the others good night, as the boys walked out the door Kat turned back and asked me if I wanted her to stay. I smiled at her.

"That would be nice Kat thanks." She smiled as well. So going into my closet and getting the sleeping bag that Kim had given me, I laid it out on the floor(after fixing up my room) Kat crawled into it and waited while I changed into P.J's , as soon as my head hit the pillow a third time I instantly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, thank god.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Morning came. One of the second most worst mornings of my life, the first was the day after my earth parents had been murdered. On that day I had just laid in bed wanting everything to have been just one horrible nightmare, waiting for my mother to shout for me to get up, half expecting to hear my step-dad yell.

"There's work to be done." But they never came. And I never woke up from the nightmare. Even now....I still expect to hear my mother and my step-dad's voices. I gave a sigh as I stared up at the ceiling. My mind played the events of what happened in the woods, unwillingly. I closed my eyes and tried to stop the images, I didn't want to remember! But they played before me, as if all of it were playing right before my very eyes. _STOP!!_ I forced open my eyes and sat up, my heart pounding terror coursing through me. I had just realized that if Goldar had shown Justin what I had gone through during my early years as a Ranger, _did that mean that Goldar also allowed for Justin to _experience_ each and every punishment?_ I thought of Justin and how he curled into a ball and whimpered whenever someone tried to touch him. I remembered after the beatings I would flinch and want to curl into a ball and beg not to be touched, not by my mother who would often hug me......_Dear god!_ I leapt off the bed and limped as fast as I could to the bathroom, not noticing that Kat's sleeping bag was empty, I didn't notice her or the others in the kitchen, nor did I hear them call my name as I dashed to the bathroom and slammed the door. I ran over to the toilet, lifted up the seat and bent over it, while, as if by their own accord, images of the beatings, the torture and the pain that I went through played inside my mind. _No! No! _I silently screamed as, as if I were watching a movie, I saw my 16 year old self screaming, as she writhed in pain and agony, struggling not to scream but unable to while her former master laughed and sent a red beam at her. I saw my 15 year old self hung by chains while she was being whipped by Goldar, I saw her cowering in fear as she stared up at Goldar and Rito as they advanced toward her. _Stop! Stop! STOP!! But the images kept on coming! They wouldn't stop!_

"STOP!" I screamed, throwing back my head at the same time my friends burst through the door and looked around, I had stood shakily to my feet wiping my mouth. I staggered over to the sink and began to wash my mouth out and splash cold water on my face. It took me a moment to answer Blue Elf's question of

"Are you okay?" I leaned over the sink for a few minutes and shook my head silently. I was trembling from head to foot and breathing hard, I looked up at the mirror. And for a split second I saw my 15 year old self staring back at me, anger and grief in her eyes. I turned away, wiped the tears from my eyes and got some toilet paper blew my nose and flushed the toilet. Then I turned to my friends. I pushed some hair out of my eyes.

"I'm okay." I gave them a non convincing smile. They looked back at me worried. I could see questions on their faces but I didn't want to share what had gone on in my mind, talking about it would be even worse then remembering it. I waved away their un spoken questions turned and walked over to the kitchen. The smell of food hit me full in the face and I had to force myself not to turn and run to the bathroom again. Taking a deep breath, I limped over to the stove and stared down at the eggs and bacon in disgust. Taking a plate from the cupboard I began to dish up some of the food, taking it over to the table I sat down, the others came in.

"Ames?" asked Tommy quietly. They could see that I was eating, although knowing me, I was forcing myself to eat. He walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, I looked up at him with a mouthful of eggs.

"Are you sure...?" I swallowed. Then said a bit angrily.

"Yeah, I'm okay quit asking." Tommy took his hand away from my shoulder and took a step back. I gave an irritated sigh and looked at all of them.

"I'm sorry." I didn't sound sorry at all but more irritated.

"I'm just worried about Justin that's all." That was the half truth, I was worried about Justin and the questions I was sure that he was going to ask, not to mention Dimitria and the others. _Plus....I wonder what will Justin's state of mind be like? _I swallowed the last of my eggs and bacon, then I stood up and took my plate to the sink. I limped back to the others and stood in front of them.

"We've already eaten." said Adam. I gave a non committal grunt. Tommy looked at the others.

"Are we all ready?" We all nodded. I contacted Dimitria and she teleported us to the Power Chamber.

I wasn't entirely sure what I expected to see when we got to the Power Chamber, certainly not the rookies standing around Justin with grim looks on their faces, or angry glares in their eyes. All of them turned toward us and glared but didn't say a word. Justin, I saw had dark circles under his eyes, that was to be expected. The night of my first beating I didn't sleep all that well either, I began to limp toward him.

"Justin! Are you alright?" He shrank away from me, and had a most peculiar expression on his face. I stopped.

"Justin? Why are you looking at me like that?" The look that he was giving me was a mixture of anger and fear. T.J and the others were all staring at me and me alone. Tommy walked up and addressed T.J.

"Justin told you what was done to him didn't he?" T.J nodded, his eyes were still on me.

"I want to hear Amy's side first." I looked at him in surprise.

"My side?" My friends were also staring with surprised expressions on their faces.

"A–Amy.....'s? What are you talking about T.J.?" snapped Adam.

"And what do you _mean_ her side first? She'll tell you what happened to her just as soon as Justin tells us what happened to him." said Blue Elf. T.J's face become a cold mask of anger and as he glared at me that same coldness was in his voice.

"Justin told us what happened to him." I swallowed hard. He continued but I didn't flinch away from his gaze, I kept my eyes on him. _He's not Tommy._

"How Goldar showed him what was done to you all those times you were taken to the throne room, what happened in that cage when Goldar caught you, what you went through when he Zedd and Rito nearly killed you." he paused, I saw that Justin had turned away, had shut his eyes and I knew, wanted to cover his ears, but he couldn't. T.J took a step toward me, I had a distinct feeling that he wanted me to take a step back, but I stood my ground and stared into his eyes as he said the next words that made my blood freeze in my veins.

"Goldar made Justin experience _each and every one_ of those...'punishments' he called them. Why? Why did he do that to Justin? He's only a kid. Goldar said that it was because of that reason alone. Because Justin was a kid, he thought that being a Ranger was fun and exciting, that a Ranger couldn't get hurt because of the power that a Ranger has. But.....Justin was proved wrong when he tried to fight off the Tengu and Goldar, they beat him, they beat him easily." I looked toward Justin. He was still looking at me with that weird expression on his face. I took a deep breath, I wanted to hear what was done to him first hand, it just....it didn't seem real if another person was telling it. I took a deep breath.

"I want to hear it from Justin." Justin's eyes widen then he began to look a little afraid.

"Justin," I took a step toward him, he shrank back from me.

"Justin, please. I need to hear it from you." He shook his head, Carlos stepped in front of him and glared at me.

"He doesn't want to talk about it."

"But if you just let me...."

"HE DOESN'T WANT TO GO THROUGH IT AGAIN." I raised my hands in front of me.

"Okay, okay." I backed off and turned toward T.J.

"Go on." he glared at me as he continued. Goldar unleashed each and every punishment that I've gone through, even replaying my parents murders, but substituting my parents with Justin's parents. I felt sick, _I was right.....Goldar unleashed my punishments.....that monster!!_ T.J paused. Then he took a deep breath, then said.

"Goldar...told Justin that.....that _you wanted_ Justin to know what being a Ranger was really like." I let out a gasp, Tommy and the others stared.

"Wait a...." started Kat. But T.J ignored her and plowed on.

"How could you? How could you tell Goldar to do such...?"

"I didn't!" I yelled desperately, horror filled me.

"T.J. I swear! I didn't tell Goldar."

"Then how did he find out? Huh? How the hell did he find out? Who did you tell? Maybe he overheard....."

"I didn't tell anyone! Except Tommy and the others." T.J looked to Tommy who nodded. Turning back to me he asked.

"Just Tommy and the others. No one else." I nodded. I really couldn't tell them that I also told my parents or Dex. For one thing my parents were dead and I'm pretty sure to them that dead people didn't count as real people. Second, even though they knew that I had a boy friend, they didn't know that he was an ally of the Rangers or that he was a super hero. Cassie stared at Kat and she stared back.

"Goldar didn't get the information out of me."

"Or out of any of us." said Adam. Blue Elf and Kat nodded in agreement. The rookies were silent.

Finally A-6 said.

"He must have overheard it, that's the only explanation." I turned to him.

"You maybe right A-6, but as far as any of us can tell, we weren't alerted to his presence." Tommy looked toward A-6 questioningly. He suddenly snapped.

"We don't keep an eye on you guys _all_ the time, we've got all of Angel Grove to keep an eye on we're not babysitters ya know!" _Okay, that answers my question._ Thought Tommy. Adam saw that I had a worried look on my face, he was about to ask me what was wrong, until he saw the tiny gesture that I made. I placed a hand on my chest, right at the spot where my locket rested. _Goldar must have used the morphing power to sneak on us undetected and listen in on our conversations, but how did he find us? He couldn't have had a tracking device on us could he? _He snapped back to attention when I shouted at T.J.

"Look, I don't know how he found out okay, I'm just as just as shocked about this as any of you and no I didn't want any of this to happen. I swear on my life that if given the chance, I would have prevented this from happening!!"

"Goldar told Justin that you wanted all that horrible stuff to happen to Justin, so that Justin will know for himself that being a ranger...."

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it?" sneered Cassie.

"Justin told us all about the times that you guys would yell at him for being careless, for not taking his role seriously, he's only a kid for god's sake!" Tommy snapped back.

"He can't act like a kid when it comes to being a Ranger, there are lives at stake. Our's as well as the people of Angel Grove, yes, we would yell at him. But that was because we were afraid that if he continued to act like some stupid kid," Justin flinched. Tommy continued.

"Then he was going to get himself killed, he had to know what it was really like out there." T.J. eyes narrowed.

"So Justin deserved what he went through." Anger shot through me. _How dare you!_

"I didn't say that." Tommy said anger flashing through his eyes.

"Like hell you did. You could have just talked to him." snarled T.J Adam spoke up.

"We did, we told him of our experience with Goldar, Zedd, Rito."

"And Gasket." chimed in Tommy.

"But he still thought of it as one big game." said Kat.

"So you thought that in order to see the truth Justin had to be......"

"SHUT THE HELL UP ABOUT THAT T.J!" I screamed finally exploding. Everyone jumped and stared at me.

"Justin didn't have to see or experience what I went through, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, and if I could.....I....would have switched places with him." I heard sharp intakes of breaths from my friends, they knew full well that I would rather die than go through all of the punishments again. I looked at Justin. He had a bewildered look on his face, as if he couldn't believe that the entire team were arguing among themselves.

"I wanted for Justin to take his role seriously but I didn't want him to suffer just because he didn't, that's the last thing that I would have wanted on him...or on anyone." For a while no one said anything. Finally Justin spoke up.

"He t–told me s—something else." We all turned to him. Cassie looked down at him.

"What?" Justin was looking toward me.

"He told me something else. About Amy." The rookies all turned to look at me, finally T.J turned to Justin and said in a soft voice.

"What did Goldar tell you Justin?" Justin's expression suddenly turned wild, his eyes were wide and he seemed to be staring at me as if I had become his worst nightmare. Suddenly I began to dread what Justin was about to say, coldness seemed to have entered the Power Chamber that only I could feel.

"He told me that Amy....used to work for Zedd." My heart practically stopped in mid-beat, my mouth became dry.. My friends were all staring horror struck at Justin, the rookies....were staring at me.....I swear I saw an expression cross Cassie's face. It appeared to be a _I knew it_ look. But all of it....everything.....seemed so far away......the voices...everyone was talking at once......T.J and the others were asking, demanding, shouting and yelling questions.........my friends were trying to reach me, defend me. I was torn...I had to focus....but I didn't want to......but I forced myself to tune in to what everyone was saying.

"Amy?......Used to be one of them?" asked Carlos shock on his face.

"H–how i–is that even possible?" Asked T.J. Carlos took a step away from me, as if I would turn against him at any moment and spring.

"Goldar told me....that she....did horrible things. He showed me...w–what you did." _Oh god, did Goldar show him Aisha?_ He couldn't say anymore, tears were streaming down his cheeks, he closed his eyes as he said the next words.

"Tommy....he also worked for Zedd.....he nearly killed....." he began to sob and turned away as if the mere sight of us were unbearable. Tommy had taken a sharp intake of breath.

"No." he whispered. T.J was staring at Tommy and me. Kat was on pins and needles wondering if Justin had been told of her own terrible past. I chanced a glance at Kat, when Justin didn't say anything more, she breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short lived as the rookies all stared at Tommy and me, horror and anger in their eyes. Carlos was the first to step forward and stare at the both of us.

"Y–you two.....? H–How.....?" Justin turned to look at Tommy, a sick look on his face mixed with disbelief. I was sure that he was shocked, more than shocked. He had idolized Tommy from the get go, because he was so strong and so tough and Justin thought that Tommy could do no wrong....but...now that he found out that Tommy used to be evil.....that he did horrible things....

"It's not true, please tell me it's not true!" he begged of Tommy. Tommy and I looked at each other. Both of us knew that we had to tell them, if we didn't than there would be a good chance that Goldar would tell them, and that would be worse. Tommy took a step forward and took a deep breath, not looking at Justin, but looking past him.

"It's true." Justin let loose a wail then began to look heart broken. Cassie suddenly took a step forward, rage was on her face as she spat.

"Why didn't you tell us?" I spoke up.

"We thought that there was no need for us to tell you, besides we had no idea that Goldar would...would...."

"Tell us the truth about you two!" shrieked Cassie.

"Both of us were placed under spells! We didn't have a choice on what we were made to do!" I protested. Cassie let out a sarcastic laugh.

"I'll bet."

"Both of us, we wanted to redeem ourselves for what Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa made us do, we became Rangers to set things right." Tommy said. I nodded in agreement.

"It finally comes out. Your vast knowledge of evil, all along it had a source."shouted A-6.

"Alpha, Amy uses the knowledge that she gained from Zedd against him, she's used that knowledge many times to save all of our lives, to save us from traps."

"And what about Justin huh? Your vast knowledge could have helped him avoid what he went though...unless.....unless.....you're still evil!" shouted Cassie.

"I'M NOT EVIL!" I screamed more loudly than I had wanted. Panic and horror going through me.

"He....I was released from the spell that was holding me a long time ago." My friends all shouted in agreement. But Cassie and the others ignored them.

"All this time you must have _known _what was done to him! You must have set that trap for Justin to get captured!" shouted Carlos.

"Now hold on just a damn minute!" shouted Kat.

"Both of you knew that Justin was weak when he's wasn't morphed, you told Goldar to attack Justin and to kidnap him and told Goldar to show Justin all of those horrible things that he saw, you also told Goldar to _do_ those...." Tommy exploded.

"HOW DARE YOU! HOW. DARE. YOU!" I took a step back from Tommy, for as long as we have been Rangers and friends, I had never seen Tommy so angry before, his eyes were filled with rage and he looked as if he were using every once of self control to stop himself from launching straight at Cassie.

"IF WE HAD ONLY KNOWN THAT GOLDAR WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, THEN WE WOULD HAVE STOPPED HIM. BUT WE DIDN'T. NONE OF US KNEW THAT GOLDAR WAS GOING TO DO THIS, NOT DIMITRIA, NOT ALPHA AND CERTAINLY NOT YOU! SO DON'T YOU DARE GO BLAMING AMY AND I OF STAGING THE ATTACK ON JUSTIN, DON'T YOU DARE!" Tommy was breathing hard at the.....rookies, who were staring at Tommy. T.J stepped forward, he took a deep breath then spoke.

"Even if you didn't, you've got a couple of questions to answer." I stared at him, all of a sudden it felt like I was in a court room, with T.J and the others having the role of judge and jury, while my friends were bystanders. Dimitria and A-6 had turned into wall ornaments. Even if I tried my best to convince them that Tommy and I weren't evil nor working with Goldar, we would be still found guilty of working with the Dark Forces. Whatever what the final verdict was I had a feeling that my Ranger days were over.

"Why did Goldar kidnap Justin? Why did he do all of that stuff to him?" I took a deep breath, I felt calm for some reason. I guess it was because that since I was no longer going to be a ranger, I would no longer have to fight by T.J's, Cassie's, Carlos's or Justin's side. I was a bit happy at this prospect because......because....._because I never wanted to fight by their side in the first place. All this time I've only thought of them as my team mates not as my friends, that's because they were never my friends to begin with and after this, they never will be._

"I don't know."

"YOU DO KNOW, ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!" I took a deep breath hating myself for having so much knowledge about Goldar and the way he thought.

"Goldar kidnaped Justin so that Justin could experience what a Ranger's life is really like, to see what a ranger goes through and to experience the pain."

"First hand?" I glanced at Justin and I nodded.

"First hand." T.J paused then glaring at me he asked.

"Why were _you_ the only one to get the hand written message from Goldar?"

"Because I'm the one that he hates the most for killing his master. Lord Zedd." _And for turning traitor._

"Do you know how was it that Goldar kidnaped Justin without the rest of us knowing?"

"Yes. There is....a cloaking spell, it is not used very often but in the very few times that Zedd himself has used it, it was to unleash unseen attacks against the Power Rangers."

"And how do you know of this?"

"I....I've seen it first hand a number of times." I didn't dare look at Tommy or the others, even though I had redeemed myself of everything that I've done to them....I still felt that if I unleashed some information about the workings of Zedd and his staff....I would be viewed as a monster.

"First hand?"

"Yes." T.J paused for a minute.

"When you were working for Zedd, did you have a name? A different name that your master would call you when you were reporting to him?" My face paled, _there is now way that I am going to tell him...._ Luckily Tommy jumped to my defense.

"That's enough. Amy does not have to answer to you for what she did or what happened in the past, and she sure as hell didn't know that Justin was going to be attacked or kidnaped." Blue Elf spoke up.

"Why are you asking Amy all of these questions? What are you trying to find out?"

"We are trying to find out if Amy if is still working for Goldar." We all stared at him, then the boys all began to yell and shout. T.J was busily yelling at Tommy that if he was so sure that I wasn't working for Goldar then how did Justin get captured so easily?

"Goldar is strong, stronger than a mere human. You need everyone to back you up if you're going to face him. No one can take him on alone except for Amy, she's more stronger than any of us plus she can take him down easily." snapped Tommy, the others nodded in agreement.

"Okay, if you are absolutely certain that Amy had nothing to do with Justin's capture then I guess that leaves only one person......you Tommy."

"What!" he shouted freezing on the spot.

"You're the only other Ranger that knows Goldar, that worked with him side by side plus the one person that we would never think of. You wanted to get back at us, for taking over the role of Power Rangers."

"Have you forgotten? I agreed, in fact I'm the one that chose you!" T.J ignored him.

"But then you began to dislike the fact that we were being called heroes instead of you."

"You're crazy!"

"So you contacted Goldar, told him to come back and punish us by taking it out on the youngest Ranger."

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it? Didn't you feel the least bit jealous of us?"

"No! I didn't none of us did. I swear on...on Zordon, on Alpha five.....we were not jealous toward you. And we did not contact Goldar, he came back on his own!" T.J was silent for a moment then he sneered.

"I'm pretty sure that I speak for everyone when I say that Zordon must have been pretty stupid to have chosen two traitors to lead a team of rangers when in the end, the two traitors were still in allegiance to evil." Tommy lost it. He had his back turned to T.J, but at those words he spun around and punched him! T.J fell to the floor. Kat let out a gasp, I smiled. Rocky and Adam both let out cheers as Tommy towered over T.J. T.J.'s lower lip was bleeding, he stared up at Tommy, Tommy said in a low and dangerous voice.

"Don't you ever EVER say that about Zordon. He knew about me and Amy, but instead of turning his back on us, he gave us another chance. Zordon was a leader, I'm not sure what you are." Then taking a step back, he teleported away and the rest of us followed suit. On the ground where I had stood was my morpher and communicator.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

We went to Tommy's apartment, I guess none of us wanted to go to our own homes yet, me? Huh. I went outside and leaned against the balcony outside Tommy's apartment. I just wanted to be alone for a bit. Looking out at the peacefulness of Angel Grove and seeing its tranquility and comparing it to the turmoil that had just befallen the Ranger team.....it just seemed so unreal, what happened......the yelling...... the accusing...... the accusing really got to me. _How can they think that I had actually planned with Goldar to.......that I was still working with him? How can they? _I answered my own question._ They never knew what I had gone through, all the pain that I had suffered to get this strong. All that I had lost....but I didn't _want_ to tell them......I was afraid....I was afraid of them......not understanding. Of still accusing me of being evil when I explained_ my _side of the story. And the anger in their eyes. _I would often envision Tommy and the others having that same anger in theirs when I would finally tell them about what I had done. _Maybe all of this.....is a sign. A sign that's telling that I _should never _tell my friends what happened that night. _I suddenly realized that I _was_ afraid of Tommy and the others, of them looking at me not with love, or friendship in their eyes. But with hatred and anger. The vision that I had back at the cemetery, the one that Zedd showed me long ago, popped into my head. My friends in a circle around me, pointing their fingers down at me. I shut my eyes and at the same time shut down the memory. _Maybe in some weird way, Zedd knew that _a_ team of Rangers was going to accuse me of something that was my fault. Which in a way...it is. If I had only had the strength to kill Goldar and destroy the staff, or at least gone after him after I was all healed up, then none of this would be happening. If only I had been more stronger, more powerful, I should have healed myself at that instant and gone after him. _I gave a sigh._ I shouldn't be doing this to myself, what's done is done. No changing that. What _I can do_ is figure out what to do next. Goldar is still out there. And just because he laid out some serious hurt on a thirteen year old Ranger does not mean that he's going to just sit back and watch what the after effects are going to be._ I paused for a minute. _Maybe he is. So that means that my Ranger career is not over, I just have to figure out how I'm going to continue fighting when_ _I can't morph into a ranger and I have to figure out how to keep my identity a secret._ I opened my eyes and stared out into the darkness. _Hmmm. That vision and the scene at the Power Chamber _are_ very similar, the only thing missing is the obliterated scene of Angel Grove, and T.J and the others shouting "It's all your fault!" _I put my chin in my hands. _How am I going to ever pull this off? _I gave a start as I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, turning. to my surprise it was...

"Dex! What are you doing here?" I had fully turned to face him, he smiled at me. His eyes showed sympathy and understanding. But most of all comfort.

"Need you ask? Kat saw you with a long face, so she called me up. She thought that you needed cheering up, and who better than to cheer you up than your fiancee?"He moved more closer to me and wrapped his arms around, I leaned my head against his chest feeling his heartbeat. We stayed like that for a while.

"Kat told me what happen to Justin and what T.J and the others....god....Amy...I wish that there was something that I could have done." I shook my head silently, in truth we both knew that there wasn't anything that anybody could have done. And even if Dimitria and A-6 had gotten wind of the attack beforehand, managed to warn us and we had prevented it in some way, Goldar would have still found some other way of going after the young Ranger.......and have made him suffer more so the second time._ Tommy and I, our pasts would still be revealed, our allegiance questioned. I would have still walked out and Tommy would have punched T.J. and regretted his decision of retiring. _I looked down at the ground._ I still have to protect the Turbo Rangers from Goldar if I don't then they are as good as dead. _I pushed myself away from Dex and began to limp toward the sliding glass doors that led into Tommy's living room.

"Amy?" Dex said softly as he watched me pause with one hand on the handle.

"I need to talk to the others." I said as I pulled the door open and stepped inside, Dex followed me in. I moved away from the door as Dex stepped in after me and closed the door behind him. My friends who were all sitting on the couch or chairs in the living room looked up when I entered, except for Tommy. He was looking down at his hands, he didn't even glance at me. I guess he was feeling ashamed of T.J and the others. Blue Elf glanced at him_, _he stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Short stuff we....." he started, but Tommy had pounded one fist onto his knee and had leaped up an angry and shocked look on his face. He began to pace back and forth letting his hands move throughout the air in his agitation.

"How can they think such a thing? Us. Traitors. We didn't help Goldar kidnap Justin, anyone with a brain can see that. We've been loyal to Zordon, we swore that we would protect our friends and family from the forces of evil, we put our lives on the line time and again, we've escaped death and capture time and again, and then all of a sudden that doesn't mean squat? I can't believe that they think that you ....and me....in allegiance with Goldar...." Tommy dropped back to the couch with his head buried in his hands.After a moment of silence he looked at me anguish on his face.

"Amy, if I known.... I would take back.....we would take back...." The others all nodded. I looked at them all, then I limped toward Tommy and stood in front of him.

"You didn't....you couldn't have known. It was just something that happened. It's like all of those times Zedd attacked us with those souped up monsters, we were given no warning. Dad wasn't psychic back then and neither is Dimitria." Kat, who was in the kitchen pouring everyone drinks, looked thoughtful.

"I think that other being mad at Tommy and Amy for having worked with Goldar at one point.....they may be mad at Dimitria as well." We all turned and looked at her.

"Think about it, before, they've been given warnings of whenever Divatox was going to attack, Goldar comes in attacking Justin with no prior warning whatsoever. The Power Chamber sensors didn't even pick him up." Adam nodded.

"Yeah, they must be pretty angry at themselves also, they're the new Power Rangers, they have succeeded in saving the world, Angel Grove and its people a thousand times over and yet they were incapable of saving Justin. They must be feeling incredibly guilty." I glanced uneasily at my friends remembering how I had screamed at all of them a variation of those exact same words.

"Well, now they know that every attack can't be interceptedor anticipated." Tommy said he took the glass of ice tea that Kat offered him, then she moved on to the next person. I looked down at my drink. Finally I said.

"He's not going to stop ya know." I glanced up at my friends, then looked down at my tea.

"He'll see that he did more damage to Justin and go after him more brutally, probably he'll go after his dad and maybe the others just to hurt him." Tommy's hand tightened around his cup, so did Blue Elf's. _Times like this....I wish that I hadn't given up being a Ranger._

"I have to protect Justin, but without being able to morph...and using my powers will only get me so far..." Tommy and Blue Elf both looked up, suddenly excitement blazing on their faces.

"We'll help you Ames!" They both cried at the same time. I looked up at them, surprise on my face.

"W–what?"

"Just what we said." Tommy had leapt up and was walking toward me.

"We can help you protect Justin and the others." Blue Elf had stood up also. I stared at the both of them.

"How? Tommy, you aren't a Ranger anymore, in fact both of you can't morph. Blue Elf you can't....your back...." But they interrupted me.

"We have the Power Blast Ames, we can use that against Goldar and the Tengu." He looked at Adam and Kat, both of them looked uneasy and voiced about the possibility of being out numbered and out matched to the brute strength and the power that Goldar had. I agreed.

"You'll get killed, you have no way of contacting each other or call for back up, much less teleport when it gets to be too much."

"Amy's right. If you do this then Goldar will...." Dex said. Tommy shook his head.

"Amy, do you really think that we'll stand by and allow Goldar to continue to hurt a fellow Ranger's friends and family?"

"Hell no." said Blue Elf.

"It doesn't really matter if we can't morph, we have the power inside us, its always been there. We not be able to morph but the power that Zordon gave us will protect us and....." But I had leapt up.

"ARE YOU INSANE? Tommy you aren'ta Ranger anymore, you're going to get yourselves killed if you do this. Don't you understand? You'll be easy targets for Goldar, you're just mere humans who need the power to morph in order to take on Goldar_. _And since you gave the power to morph to those...those..." Kat and Adam nodded and opened their mouths to speak but again Tommy spoke without hearing me.

"Amy." Tommy said softly, he took both of my hands and gave them a squeeze.

"That's exactly why we want to help out, we just realized what a big mistake that we made in choosing T.J and the others as our replacements_,_ what they said about you and me being traitors when we've risked our lives time and again....even you hadn't told us that you had been an agent of Zedd's and we had found out, I wouldn't have accused you of still being a traitor. I would have seen beyond that, to the person that would be standing before me, I would have seen all of the good that you've done in an effort to make right the wrongs that you was forced to do. And you have done that, a thousand times over. You've shown bravery, strength and power and selflessness. What T.J. said....that was a bunch of bull, a good leader......and a friend sees beyond the evil and sees the good within the person. That's why.....I knew you were the person to fill in Aisha's shoes." I gave out a sigh, of resignation and of acceptance._ There's no way that I can change their minds, no matter how hard I might try. _I looked up at Dex, he gave a look that said._ If they must._ Kat and Adam on the other hand looked as if they still wanted to argue their case about the dangers and the stupidity of it all. I turned back to Tommy and Blue Elf.

"You guys have to promise me that you'll be careful and to call me if you need any help." I said to them sternly. Both boys smiled in relief. They promised that they would be careful and not to worry. Huh so much they knew.....I was already worried.

Dex walked me home, we spent a few minutes standing in front of my apartment saying goodbye. I lay my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat and I felt his arm tighten around my shoulders.

"Promise me that you'll be careful and to call me if you need any help. Dregon might see this a perfect time to attack you." I looked up at him.

"I will Dex you know I will. I'm just so scared that...."

"You'll watch over them and so will I. They're my friends too. They're be all right. They're stubborn but they'll be all right." After I while he suggested that he could contact his grandfather who'll inform Dad of what's happened.

"Maybe your Dad could come down and talk to T.J. and the others....." he stopped when I shook my head.

"No Dex. I don't think not even Dad can fix this. I've lost the trust of the rookies, there's no getting that back. And even if I was allowed back on the team I would...be treated like an enemy and a traitor. Thanks Dex but no thanks, maybe....maybe its better this way." Tears welled up in my eyes. _Why am I crying_? Its because when I was Ranger I had became powerful and strong, I had my friends to back me up, nothing could hurt me and I belonged to a group that wouldn't turn their back on me even if they _did_ know the truth about me but most of all I felt safe. But now....without being able to morph, I feel weak and vulnerable and I also felt....afraid. What if I lose one of my friends to Goldar and the Tengu? My friends who have become my family? I clutched at Dex, fear going through me and I began to tremble. _I don't want that....I couldn't bear if..... _I felt Dex press his mouth hard onto mine. I gave myself in fully to the kiss, it wiped every worry out of my mind. My trembling stopped, the fear drained away, I was only aware of the smell of Dex, his touch and his warmth...I wanted to stay like this forever and not have to face the reality of my life, the dangers or the fears. But I couldn't, we couldn't. Slowly reluctantly we broke off the kiss, Dex unwrapped his arms around me and took a step back. I wanted to scream _Stay with me! I don't want to be alone! _He looked at me and took a step forward as if hearing my thoughts. I looked at him. It looked as if he didn't want to leave me either.

"I–I don't want to be alone. Could you stay with me? Please Dex?" He nodded. Then taking my hand in his, and after I had unlocked the door, we stepped into my apartment.

Over the next few days I would often catch sight of Justin walking along the halls, and to any other person it would appear that the kidnaping hadn't affected him. But I knew better, Justin continued to have dark circles underneath his eyes, a couple of times he would jump whenever he heard a loud sound behind him or when someone called out to him. _Poor kid._ I thought as I passed him for the fifth time that day, he was sitting on the floor in a corner with his arms wrapped around his knees with a vacant expression on his face._ He probably wishes that he were at home right now, hiding...or at least trying to hide from the images that continue to replay in his head over and over._ _Wishing that it would all go away and then things will go back to the way they used to be. But that'll never happen._ I still continued to worry that Goldar had shown Justin about what had happened to Aisha, but so far I didn't hear a word of it. I kept thinking that sooner or later I would be confronted by the Rangers, with looks of horror on their faces when they found out that I was a murderer. But the only looks that they gave me were of anger whenever I passed them in the hallways or when I bumped into them in classrooms. And Justin....well...he would just stare straight ahead, I sometimes thought that he was somehow reliving everything that he had witnessed and experienced. _A thirteen year old can't handle all that stuff that he's been through, heck _I_ barley handled what was done to me. _A couple of times I tried to get Justin to talk to me but he would only stare at me with this empty look on his face along with the appearance of the others who would grab me and shove me back ward onto the floor.

"Stay away from Justin." snarled T.J. Not wanting to fight(although I wanted to punch T.J) I obeyed, besides if it came to blows I would probably beat all of them up, and that's not an exaggeration. I was still feeling resentful and angry that Cassie and T.J. called me and Tommy traitors, when we've done nothing but good. _Hello! After everything that we've been through to try and resist being placed underneath those evil spells once again, I think that we deserve a little credit!_ Still......I can't help but relate to them: the time when I refused to believe Kat when she told me that she had broken Rita's spell, and how I still thought of her as an enemy. It had taken me a while to finally see past what she had done to my friends and sister and to embrace her as a friend and fellow ranger. _But T.J. and the others, they won't see past all that Tommy and I have done in the past, I'm afraid that even if we talk to talk to them_(and we have) _they'll still refuse to listen, their set on seeing us as the orchestrators of what happened to Justin._ _I don't know if they'll ever stop blaming us, maybe they never will._

While Justin was waking up every night screaming and T.J. and the others were frustrated and angry that they couldn't do a thing to help the young Ranger and were threating that Tommy and I would pay for what we've done, my friends and I contacted Billy and asked him if he could make a small miniature computer that would be an exact copy of the computers in the Power Chamber. He wanted to know what was up and even though we_ wanted to lie_ to him, we couldn't do that. He was a fellow Ranger and friend.....besides he could weasel it out of Blue Elf. Or worse Tommy. So we had to tell him. I have to admit that he took it well, except when I told him that I had quit the Turbo Rangers.

"WHAT!!!! YOU QUIT BEING A RANGER!!!" His eyes and face were filled with disbelief_._ He was looking at me to Tommy and back again. I was beginning to wish that Tommy hadn't insisted on Billy coming to earth, I would have much rather have told him via e-mail but as Blue Elf said.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"THEY SAID THAT YOU AND TOMMY WERE....._" _An angry look came on to Billy's face.

"That's the most idiotic thing that I've ever heard.Did you tell them your side of the story?"

"We have. They insist that it's our fault that Justin's seeing a shrink to deal with what he's gone through." said Tommy. I stared at him.

"Justin's seeing a shrink? Huh. After I would get punished or something I would write it all down in a journal. Not the same as talking to a shrink but it helped me a bit from going over the deep end. Now though I talk to my earth parents." Kat was looking at me.

"You tell your parents all that's been happening to you?" I turned to her.

"Yeah, what do you think I talk to them about?" Kat blushed and averted her gaze.

"I–I thought that you were telling your parents about how much you miss Kimberly and that she were back on the team." I rolled my eyes.

"Kat, we've discussed this before. Yes I do miss Kim and yes sometimes I wish that she were back on the team but once you've given up the power to morph you can't get it back, no matter how much you want it back.....its just....gone." Sadness crept through me. I had just realized that I was happy BEING a ranger, despite all of its dangers, all of the pain that I've suffered. _If I hadn't become a Ranger then I wouldn't have met Tommy and the others, I wouldn't have met Dex, or found out just who I really was. If I hadn't became a ranger then I wouldn't have become so strong. _Adam put a hand on my shoulder, I looked up at him and smiled. Then he turned to Billy, who had been talking with Tommy. He had agreed to make a copy of the computers of the Command Center.

"I still have the blue prints of the Command Center, I'll use the information to create a small computer with the same function as the Command Center's computers."

"The Command Center? But I thought that everything in it was destroyed?" said Kat. Billy nodded.

"Yes, they were but, by some miracle when the Command Center reconstructed itself, the files were still in the computer, I was able to access them and print them out. I've got them at my home in Aquatar, I'll get started on the computer right away. I'll contact you guys when I'm done."

"Thanks Billy." said Tommy. He shrugged his shoulders as if saying no problem. Later that night after Billy had gone back to Aquatar and saying that he would be working on communicators for Tommy, Blue Elf and myself. Although he had argued, (along with Kat and Adam) against Tommy and Blue Elf for actually thinking of putting their lives at risk to fight when they were no longer rangers and can easily get killed, Billy had to admit that if it were him, he would probably do the same thing,

"Once a ranger always a ranger." he said with a resigned shrug of his shoulders, Kat turned her back on Tommy refusing to speak to him. Adam only glared at them.. Billy gave Tommy one final glare.

"Though I still think that you should really leave this up to T.J. and the others. And Amy. At least _she has the power _to stand up to Goldar alone." Then he took off.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Days passed and while we were waiting for Billy to return with the computer and the communicators(He told us that he would be able to make duplicates since he kept his) and for Goldar to reappear, the Turbo Rangers were busy fighting Deviates and trying to figure out who should replace me, Dregon began to attack. _Huh, and I had almost forgotten about this guy._ I thought as I flipped out of the way of a laser beam, I leapt into the air, unsheathed my sword and brought it down on Nefaria, who raised her right arm to block the attack. Using her left arm she waved it around so that her whip flew in a circle around us, I flinched as it came close to hitting me, seeing a moment of weakness, she landed a good punch. I stumbled back into the path of the whip, letting out a yelp as it made contact with my arm, I forced myself to ignore the pain and focus on the battle in front of me. Nefaria waved the whip around and snapped it mere inches from where I stood, I was able to leap out of the way. Not far from me Dex was battling an insectivore and Double-Face. Nefaria laughs as I dodged the whip again and again. _Blast! I can't get close enough for an attack!_

"What's the matter half-ling? Scared of getting hurt with my little whip?" She cracks the whip onto the ground again, to my dismay I see that it is crackling with red energy. _Now I'll never be able to get past that thing! _I continue to dodge and dance about, while Nefaria laughs some more enjoying my discomfort and the fact that I can't lay a hand on her. _Even if I could still morph into a Ranger, it'll still be tough_. Just then it hits me. _The whip takes a while for it to hit the ground once it gets into the air, I've got to time this right._ I dodged the last blow that came to me, I only had an instant, while the whip was in the air I shot forward, Nefaria saw this and tried to bring the whip down on me but I was already out of range for it to strike, I was in front of her and my fist shot out. Her head snapped back, I brought my knee up, she fell forward with a choked gasp. My sword flew through the air, and the whip fell to the ground sliced neatly in two. With the hilt of my sword I ducked and hit her on the jaw, she fell backward clutching her chin in obvious pain. I looked down at her. _There. She won't be bothering us for a while._ I turned toward Dex and the Insectivore. But before I could rush in and help Double-Face was racing toward me, I cried out as his hand suddenly shot out and I was lifted off of my feet and slammed into the ground, _what the? How'd he do that? _he was soon on top of me, I managed to morph at the last second and slither behind him. I was in the middle of materializing when he spun and lashed out at me with his double swords, they wiped and sliced through the air with amazing speed, I was nicked a couple of times as I tried to dodge them. One of the swords flashed past me, I cried out as blood rose up from the back of my left hand, the sword slashed again I yelped as I felt it cutting into my cheek. _What are you doing?! _Ignoring the stinging pain in my hand and cheek I shot forward and ducked low, both of my hands glowed, Double Face swooped low to anticipate me, I leaped into the air and when he looked up I unleashed it.

"Yellow Ranger Power Blast!" I shouted. At first he tried to put a shield but for some reason he failed and he was hit. He flew backward a couple of feet and lay on the ground winded. I landed, turned and ducked Nefaria as she flew at me, she landed behind me, spun and flew at me, I blocked her punch and furious kicks. I was able to unleash a few of my own kicks and punches as well, I slashed at her with my sword but she kept dodging and somersaulted over me. As she flew over me she brought her fist down on my face, I grabbed it with my left hand and twisted it as hard as I could and brought her down, she managed to kick me in the chest, I released her as I stumbled back. Looking up I cried out and had only an instant to react as she began to pummel me with her fists, I put my arms to shield my face as she began to strike me again and again rapidly.

"You're nothing! Do you hear me half-ling? You're nothing when you're all alone!" she shouted at me cackling, that all stopped when my hand shot out and it closed around her fist. She froze as I removed my other arm from my face and stared at her fully in the face.

"I am not nothing! And stop calling me half-ling!" I said as I powered up the hand that was around her fist and within my sword. I ducked low as she shot out her other fist, I swept her feet from underneath her, she cried out as she fell, my hand shot out and I grabbed the end of her cape, I began to turn in a full circle taking Nefaria with me, she yelled as we went around and around faster and faster. Finally I released her, while she was flying through the air I managed to send Double-Face flying also with a swift kick and the same trick that I had pulled. I pointed my glowing hand and unleashed the second power blast. Unfortunately they transported out of the my range, but that was okay, I was nearly spent and I had just enough energy for one more attack.

"Dex! Now!" Dex flew at the Insectivore and leapt up, his boots were glowing. I rushed forward and leapt up also.

"Rider Kick!

"Power Slash!" Both of us hit the Insectivore at the same time, we both leapt to safety as the Insectivore blew up and was reduced to a pile of ash. Dex turned to me.

"Wow! Even when you aren't a Ranger you are still one tough cookie." he smiled down at me as he demorphed out of the Masked Rider suit.

"Were you watching? Ah, so that's why you were getting your butt kicked." I teased. He laughed then shook his head.

"I couldn't help it, you were just so amazing!" I looked down in modesty.

"I shouldn't take all the credit for my awesome fighting skills Tommy and the others deserve some of the credit." He looked thoughtful.

"Yeah they should shouldn't they? Tell you what. How about I treat all of you to an early lunch and congratulate your former mentors on doing such a bang up job on your fighting skills?"

"That sounds lovely your majesty, I shall alert them and have them ready within the hour." We both laughed as we turned silver, merged into one puddle and took off.

Around the same time that Count Dregon had began to attack, sightings of Tengu Warriors around town began to rise. I began to notice that wherever Justin went, Carlos, Cassie or T.J. weren't too far behind. I was beginning to think that Justin, thanks to the sightings, was not too keen at facing the Tengu alone and getting captured again, so the rookies were acting as Justin's body guards now. I still felt bad that Justin had to go through all the pain that I went through to finally take the role of a Power Ranger seriously and I wanted to help him through it, but I couldn't get near him to try to talk to him. I couldn't even catch him alone, he was always with one of the other Rangers and never mind trying to call him, A-6 cut my calls short. _Looks as if Justin's house is under 24/7 watch._ I thought as I hung up the phone, at the same time I couldn't help but think _I wish that my house had been put under that kind of security._ I shook my head. _Zedd and Dregon would have still found a way in._ Seeing that there was no other way to contact Justin, I decided to, once again, get one of the Turbo Rangers, Dimitria or A-6 to listen to me. No Dice. The rangers threatened to blast me into a million pieces if I ever so much as _looked_ at Justin or came with in 2 feet of his house or called. And I couldn't teleport or morph myself to the Power Chamber. I was still keeping my powers a secret from Dimitria and A-6, and even if I were to somehow, transport myself to the Power Chamber, they would probably have it shut down and have it sealed tight against me. The others didn't have better luck, Tommy was angry about this, he had thought for sure that the....kids would have cooled down and listened to reason. But they hadn't, they were still angry that Tommy and I kept our pasts hidden from them, they were mad at the other rangers for not telling _them_ that they knew and they were still mad at themselves _and _Dimitria for allowing Justin's torture to happen! You can tell that they're at odds because their battles took a lot longer to finish and they seemed to be trying to figure out how to defeat certain monsters right there on the battle field and sometimes they would get their butts kicked really bad.

I glanced at the others while we were watching the news of the last battle, Tommy had a frustrated look on his face, Adam looked angry, Blue Elf looked about ready to jump into the battle despite the danger of killing himself(I had healed his back long ago) Kat had a look of horror on her face, she would let out yelps whenever one of the Rangers would get seriously hurt. I looked at the screen and think _In a way this must be like deja vu for them. They've must have watched themselves battling a monster on tv and seeing that there was no Yellow Ranger fighting beside them....it must have made Aisha's death all the more real._ _I wonder if sometimes...they pretend that I'm Aisha. _I was jolted out of my thoughts when Kat let out a shriek, I turned my eyes back to the tv. It appeared that Cassie had taken a few hard blows to the side and to her right leg, she was struggling to get up, but she kept failing. Finally T.J shouted into his communicator and Cassie was teleported away. I breathed a small sigh of relief. _At least they're turning to A-6 and Dimitria whenever there is an emergency_, _that goes to show that at least they have some brains. _The monster, along with Elgar and a dozen or so Piranhatrons it seemed as if the Rangers were out numbered. Pulling out their weapons they threw themselves at the army. My eyes were on Justin, who was punching, kicking, dodging, slashing, defending, jumping.....he seemed alright but I wondered if he was using this battle to try to forget the things that he had seen, to forget all the pain that he'd gone through. If he was, then he wasn't the only one to use a battle to escape from everything that was wrong, that _had_ gone wrong in his life.

_I hope he doesn't kill himself trying to escape from it all, and I hope....that he finds someone to talk to, I really do. _Cassie reappeared and threw herself back into the battle, a few moments passed and then we began to see them, Tengu Warriors. They appeared to be standing about a dozen or so feet behind the Rangers just watching the battle.

"Why are they just standing there?" asked Blue Elf. The others shook their heads, not knowing what the Tengu were up to, I was scanning the entire area for any sign of Golda, but I didn't see him. _What are they playing at? _A few moments into the battle Justin turned, saw the line of Tengus behind him and froze.

"No! Don't freeze Justin!" I screamed at the screen, I didn't realize that I had said anything. The others looked at me bewildered.

"Amy, what are they going to do?"

"Do you see Golda?"

"Ames, do you know what's going to happen?" We all stared in horror as the Tengus began to swarm the boy, we all heard him scream and he was lost from sight, the other Rangers seeing that one of their own was in trouble, leapt forward to help and for a moment ignored Elgar and the monster. Using their weapons they managed to free Justin who clung to T.J. Everyone could see that he was trembling out of terror. _Come on Justin! Get a hold of yourself! Don't show that you fear them! _Even though I tried to send these messages to Justin telepathically, he didn't hear them, he cowered and seemingly hid behind the other Rangers as the Tengu took several steps forward cackling. The Rangers turned from one group of enemies to the other, seemingly unable to decide who they should fight first as they were greatly out numbered.

"We have to help them, they'll get killed and Justin's about ready to lose it." Tommy said as he stood up, at the same time the Tengu all took a step forward, we heard Justin let out a moan. The Tengu all laughed as they advanced more. Just then Elgar and the monster suddenly leapt over the Rangers and began to attack the Tengu Warriors! Piranhatrons appeared out of nowhere and joined in the fight. We all stared shocked at what we were seeing. Suddenly the camera began to shake wildly

"Dude run!" Shouted the cameraman, next thing we saw was the landscape and we could hear two men running and panting.

"It's behind us! It's behind us!" screamed the cameraman's companion. Then everything went all fuzzy and the reporter that had broadcasted the tape came back on. He cleared his throat.

"Luckily the two men that were filming today's battle were rescued by the Blue Senturion and taken to safety. As for the outcome of the battle between the two armies.....we can only guess." I worried look crossed his face and he glanced upward, possibly thinking that the heavens will give him the answers, he faced the camera again.

"The debate continues: Why is there no Yellow Ranger in the team? Has something happened to her? We go to......" The tv was turned off by Tommy, he ran his fingers through his hair and began to pace back and forth a worried look on his face. All of our eyes followed him finally he turned to us.

"This can't go on, this just can't go on. This is the fourth time that the Tengu have attacked and this is the second time that Divatox's army battled them. I'm beginning to be afraid that all of these battles will soon move into the city, innocent people are going to get hurt or worse that the two armies will attack at the same time only in two different locations. There is no way that they can spilt up to face off against both the Tengu and Elgar, they're barely surviving the battles with Divatox's monsters as it is." _Even with the Blue Senturion's help, the Rangers can't hold out much longer. And neither can Tommy or...Rocky_. During the last battle when Tommy, Blue Elf and I had charged into battle with the Tengu, Justin had freaked at the sight of the Golda and had fled, my friends along with T.J, Cassie, Carlos and the Blue Senturion had to deal with the Tengu and Golda ourselves, we had gotten hurt, but not too badly thank goodness. Just a few cuts and a broken wrist but nothing that couldn't be healed quickly, we were lucky that day, _but how long will that luck hold?_ _We need to find a way to become the Power Rangers once again._

Tommy glanced at me then he touched his chest remembering how Golda had struck him, implanted his sword into Tommy's heart, how Golda had laughed as Tommy fell to the ground blood flowing from his chest and staining the grass underneath him. Golda was about to removed Tommy's head when Blue Elf and I had raced forward, hands glowing. Golda had struck, Blue Elf screamed and grabbed both of his wrists and fell to the ground as the blood flowed through his fingers. I had frozen momentarily at a loss for what to do, if I went to help my friends I would be open to an attack, I would lose my life while trying to save the lives of my two best friends. But if I didn't then they would die, right in front of me. _Like mom._ What had gone through my mind then was _I have this amazing power and yet....I wasn't able to save my mother.....or Kimberly._ My body kicked itself into gear I spun away from Golda and dove for Blue Elf, I stretched out my hands to take him with me as we began to roll on the ground away from Golda and his slashing sword, my hands beginning to glow and it spread throughout his entire body, We come to a stop when we bumped into a tree, Blue Elf was panting as he looked up at me then he looked down at his wrists and sees that they are all healed, I stand up and with a backward glance take off limping as fast I could, wishing to heaven that I could run, over to Tommy's still body. My heart stopped as I stared down at Tommy. My mind froze as I stared at all the blood that was around him. My mind began to replay images of Tommy offering me the Yellow Ranger Power Coin, introducing himself as leader, yelling at Blue Elf for making fun of me that time I had panicked during Zord training, teaching me martial arts, laughing as we took turns bowing and curtsying and calling Dad "The great and powerful Oz". I could hear someone screaming and at first I thought that it was Blue Elf or Kat, who came to help, even though she thought that Tommy's and Blue Elf's efforts to fight as normal humans, was beyond ludicrous and dangerous. They could easily be killed.. It took me a while to figure out.....that it was me. My mind began to scream along with my mouth. _NO! NONONONONO!!_

"TOMMY!!" I scream. _Its all your fault! You're to blame! _My mind reeled._ He was right in front of me. You're to blame! _

"STOP IT!!!!!!!" I scream at the top of my voice, my entire body glowed, the locket that I wore around my neck, now at all times, opened and a light burst forth in the shape of a shield knocking everyone back. The Tengu and Golda and the Turbo Rangers were all blasted away and at the same time Tommy was healed. I stood there for a moment swaying back and forth, the park was spinning in front of me. Blue Elf had gotten to his feet and after staring at me for a few moments swallowed and began to walk toward me.

"Shortstuff? Are you alright?" I didn't turn to him nor answer I was looking down at Tommy. Blue Elf went over to him and knelt on the grass.

"Tommy? Tommy!" Tommy opened his eyes then shut them again. He began to struggle to his feet.

"What happened? Where's Golda? Rocky are you alright?" After Rocky nodded, Tommy looked around while Blue Elf explained what had happened. Both boys turned toward me, awe and gratitude on their faces, they looked around at the empty park.

"Wow! Nice job Am— Are you alright?" Tommy asked. I let out a tired laugh still swaying.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just glad that you're...." My eyes rolled into my head and I fell forward into Tommy's arms, both boys cried out and called my name again and again but didn't get a response. I was taken to my apartment, laid down on my bed and made comfortable while Billy was contacted. He came as fast as his space ship allowed and landed in a grove of trees not far from the cemetery, with him he had some of the equipment that had been stored in the Power Chamber that he had taken with him to Aquatar. As soon as he had reached my apartment, he was about to knock when the door burst open and Adam grabbed the front of Billy's shirt and yanked him inside, the door was slammed behind him and Billy was dragged to my bedroom. After scanning me he deducted that I had used too much of my power and, in an attempt to regain it, I was a comatose state. Thank fully it wouldn't last very long. Dex had been called and had demanded answers to how I had gotten this way. He was angry at Tommy and Blue Elf for doing such stupid things with their lives.

"You're only human, you can't stand up to Golda, you've nearly gotten yourselves killed and because of that Amy is......." Dex glared at Tommy, hands balled into fists looking about ready to punch him, but then his hands relaxed and he turned away. He looked at Billy and asked.

"Are you sure it will only be a matter of days until she wakes up?" Billy checked his scanner.

"Well, given the amount of power that she used and her age...Yeah, she should be awake in a few days....or a week." Dex's head jerked and he stared at Billy.

"A–a week?" Billy nodded and once again explained what the scanner showed, Dex began to yell at Tommy for putting me in this state and remained at my side until I had woken up. After giving Tommy a good yelling and only half heartily slapping him Kat broke down and hugged him. There had been no need to yell at Blue Elf, the guy was sitting on the floor with a miserable look on his face.

Tommy turned away from Kat as she began to beg and plead with him not to go out into the battlefield again, he turned away from her and looked down at my sleeping form. _This is the second time that she collapsed in order to save us. _He stretched out his hand and took my limp one in his own. _What I'm doing right now, what Rocky and I are doing_....._we're not only putting our lives at risk to protect Justin's, we're putting Amy's at risk so she can protect us. How can we do this to her when she's given us so much? She didn't what us involved because she knew that something like this would happen. _He let go of my hand, turned and walked away so that he was in front of my window that overlooked the street. He leaned his forehead against it and thought back to the recent battles. This wasn't the first time that Tommy had gotten seriously injuried. There were a few times where he had stared stupidly at a wide cut on his leg or had stared down at his blood covered hands when his neck had nearly been cut wide open. Blue Elf nearly had his back broken once again and several times, his arm or leg had been broken and he had been severely beaten by the Tengu. Tommy jumped as Blue Elf came up from behind him. He turned and both boys stared at each other. Rocky was the first to speak.

"I think we should stop." he said in a quiet voice. Even though Tommy wanted to continue fighting and try to protect the people of Angel Grove from Golda, he couldn't protect them if he were dead. Tommy nodded.

"I agree, even though I hate to sit on the sidelines while......"

"I know Tommy. But how do you think that Amy's going to take it when one of us is killed? She's still blaming herself for Aisha's and her parents...."

"I know Rocky I know. That's why I agree with you. She's already been through so much, I don't want to put her through anymore hell.....but I don't want her to go on fighting alone."

"She's the only one that can really stand up to Golda and the Tengu, plus she can call on Dex if she needs anymore help and there's always Aisha. She's helped Amy before. She's not alone man." Rocky put a hand on Tommy's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. Tommy looked at him then he let out a sigh, even though he wanted to continue fighting, he didn't want to cause me anymore pain.

"Okay, let's go tell the others, and we'll tell Amy once she wakes up."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Just as Billy had predicted, I woke up a week later, the first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was that my friends, sister and fiancee were either sitting in chairs with their heads on their chests dozing, or sitting on the floor with their knees pulled up and heads resting on them. I sat up and for a moment reached over to my dresser to put on my glasses, then laughing to myself I remembered that I had healed my eyes long ago and no longer needed them. I looked at my sleeping friends and sister in turn, Tommy and Blue Elf were sitting side by side against the wall, Tommy had his head back and was quietly snoring, Kat was beside him her head resting against his shoulder. Blue Elf had his head on his chest. Billy was leaning against my closet with his arms folded and his eyes closed. Adam was dozing in a chair on the other side of the room. Dex was in a chair by my bed, his head was to one side and his eyes were closed. I cocked my head looking at them all in confusion. _Why are they all here? I was only asleep for a few hours._ Sitting up I let out a soft sigh as I stretched my arms up over my head, pushing the covers away from me I stood up. I limped over to Dex and smiled down at him. _He looks so cute when he's sleeping._ I bent down and pressed my lips to his. He opened his eyes a bit as I parted from him.

"Hey!" I said softly smiling at him. Dex's opened his eyes wider as he straighten up.

"Amy!" He leapt out of his chair and threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly. I let out a squeak as he lifted me off my feet and spun me around. The others gave starts, or gasps when they looked up and saw that I was awake, they all leaped up and began to rush toward me with cries of relief, calling my name.

"Hey! Whoa guys! What's up? Hey! Billy, when did you come in?" Dex set me down and the others stepped away from me, I looked around.

"What's going on anyway? Why are you all here?" I looked at Tommy, then it all came rushing back to me, all the blood......but I shoved the image away.

"Tommy." I pushed past everyone to reach him.

"Tommy, you're alright aren't you? And you Blue Elf? You're okay too?" Both boys nodded.

"Yeah we're fine Ames."

"Yeah, thanks to you Short stuff." I breathed a sigh of relief. Then began to ask.

"Why did you guys react like that when I woke up? I mean this isn't the first that I collapsed after using my powers. By the why, what happened? How did I get here? And why are you guys looking at me like that?" Dex was the first to speak up as he gently led me over to the bed and sat me down.

"We're just so glad that you're all right." I raised an eyebrow and a small smile came onto my face.

"What do you mean? It's not the first time that I've had to go to sleep for a few hours to recharge my powers." I frowned as I looked at everyone, they still had worried looks on their faces. Billy spoke first.

"Um...you weren't just out for a few hours Amy.....you've been out for...a full week." I stared at him.

"A–a full week? But h–how? I didn't even use that much of my power...." Confusion ran through me, in the past I've used much of my power so that I would end up sleeping for a few good hours or even a day. _But a week_?

"You use much of your power, actually too much of it and you ended up in a comatose state to recharge."

"But I don't remember using that much.....I don't....."

"You must have used too much unconsciously when you saw Tommy...." Billy couldn't say it. I made myself think back to the scene of Tommy's still body, of the blood stained grass, the images going through my mind, the voices, the accusations......I wanted all of it to stop. _And the only way to stop it was...._I looked at Billy.

"Maybe a part of me _wanted_ to use my full power. I mean seeing you Tommy like that....I almost lost it......it was like mom all over again."

The others stood silent for a little while. The silence was broken by my rumbling stomach, I crossed my arms in front of my stomach blushing, the others laughed. Both Kat and Tommy said that they'll whip up something for all of us, and walked out the door. We all followed. Dex slipped his hand into mine and gave it a squeeze I turned to him as we both sat down at the table. Kat and Tommy chopped tomatoes, and mushrooms and green peppers. Blue Elf went into the fridge and got out the eggs and began to crack them in a glass bowl, Adam put some pans to heat on the stove and took out the ketchup from the fridge. I asked them what they were making, when they told me omelets I told them that they had better add some french toast to the breakfast. They laughed and began to crack more eggs, add cinnamon, got out the bread and butter. Soon there came the sounds of sizzling food and the aroma nearly drove me head over heels. I hadn't realized I was so hungry, _but I _have _been asleep for one week._ As the food was cooking the others explained that they had to explain about the power surge that sent the Power Chamber computers haywire.

"T.J. and the others came here and actually demanded that we explain to them what that awesome power surge was."

"And what did you tell them?" I asked wrenching my mind away from the thought of food my stomach rumbled again. Tommy smiled as he and Kat poured the eggs into the pan and began to add the ingredients.

"We told them that power surge was all of us using the full strength of the power that Zordon gave us to drive back Goldar and the Tengu, it worked. They were amazed that we had all of this awesome power that could blow away our enemies _not _to mention the Power Rangers themselves." My eyes widen in surprise and shock then I began to dread the sort of questions that would be fired my way from T.J. and Co.

"You should have seen it Short stuff, it was like they had been shot right out of a cannon." he couldn't help but grin. Uneasiness crawled in my stomach. Tommy continued.

"They totally bought what we told them, they didn't even ask about you or the fact that power surge came from you and you alone." I blinked and stared at them.

"The sensors didn't pick up on the source of the.....? How can that be?" Tommy shrugged.

"We're not sure but Billy has a theory, tell her Bill." Said Tommy as he, Kat, Adam and Blue Elf began to serve all of us breakfast.

"Well." said Billy. "The Power Chambers sensors said that all of you created that large blast that blew away Goldar, T.J and the others." Tommy put a plate of four french toast and another plate of an omelet in front of me.

"Thank you." I said as I looked up at him. He smiled down at me as he and the others sat down with their own plates, after serving everyone else, and we all began to eat. After a few moments I was able to fill in the emptiness in my stomach, I looked up at Billy.

"W–what do you mean the....?" Billy took a couple of moments to think of a way to explain everything so that we would understand.

"Look you gave us this power right? Well, when you first used your powers the sensors indicated that _you_ were the owner of the power that was used in battles. When you gave us some of your power to use against Zedd's souped up monsters," The fact that it was _my_ _power_ that had been the cause all the trouble back then still stirred feelings of guilt within me. I refocused on Billy.

"The sensors indicated that each and every one of us is using the power, regardless of where it's really coming from."

We all nodded understanding.

"And speaking of sensors," said Billy as he got up from his chair and walked over to his bag that was lying in the middle of the living room, he opened it up and rummaged around it for a while. His face lit up as it looked as he had found what he was looking for.

"Ah! Here it is." From the bag he took out what appeared to be two small thin boxes, walking back to the table and sitting down once again, he handed one of the boxes to me. I took it, turning it over a couple of times, I was surprised to see a yellow lighting bolt design on the front of the box, the box itself was of a dark blue color. It was about the size of my hand, after having a little difficulty opening it, I was amazed to find inside a console, with a miniature screen, keypad and scanner. It was hand held computer, as I passed it around to the others I looked at Billy.

"You made this?" Billy nodded.

"Cestro helped me construct it. See," he said getting the computer from Adam and turning it around so that we all could see it. He explained that it had almost everything that the Command Center's computer had, it also had a data bank which had information on our enemies. A scanner to scan unidentifiable objects or things, you can even print out information on any monster or enemy, plus it came with an alarm that would alert us if Goldar and the Tengu would attack. It was, like, having the Command Center in the palm of your hand.

"Wow, Billy. You really outdid yourself this time." said Tommy. Billy grinned then, from his lap he brought onto the table, the other box, it was long, black and thin. He opened it to reveal a communicator.

"Here." Billy said, taking out the communicator and handing it to me. "It's yours Amy." I took it and looked at it, it pretty much looked like my old one. I fastened it onto my right wrist where my old communicator used to be. Studying it more closely I noticed that one button was missing, it was the button that enabled us to teleport to the Power Chamber. I looked at Billy, he must have seen the surprise on my face for he said.

"You are no longer a part of that team remember?" I nodded.

"But why only one? Where's Tommy's and Blue Elf's?" I glanced at both boys questioningly, Tommy, who had a solemn look on his face began.

"Rocky and I, we've decided to sit on the sidelines from now on. I–it took that battle with Goldar last week that we were....causing you more trouble than helping." I started to protest. But he held up a hand to silence me.

"Ames, we've got to stop kidding ourselves. Rocky and I....." Both boys looked at each other. "We're only human, we can't stand up to Goldar, not with his souped up Tengu Warriors and the power that he has in the staff. As Rangers we could have stood up to him but now....." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Blue Elf spoke up.

"We told Billy so that he could make only one communicator, with it you'll be able to contact Mango and Combat Chopper and they'll alert Dex if you need any help at all." I knew what they were saying was true, in the last few battles, I had been busy trying to fight and _protect_ them from Goldar and the Tengu at the same time, I had gotten hurt a couple of times but not too badly. But....I always had my friends fighting beside me whenever I went into battle, I didn't want to go into battle, to fight in a war alone, but....in order to protect my friends...._I would have to go into this alone._ I felt sadness fill me. I was going to miss kicking butt alongside my friends. I looked at Blue Elf and Tommy. Both of them had worried expressions on their faces, thinking that I wouldn't be able to handle being a lone Ranger. I began to reassure them that I would be able to handle this and not to worry about me, that I would be fine, more than fine. I wasn't sure if what I was saying was true but it seemed to ease the worry lines on the boy's faces.

"That's the spirit." said Tommy with a grin on his face. I looked at him for a minute then it came to me.

"Hey, have you guys tried to morph into Zeo Rangers? I mean technically you still _are_ the Zeo Rangers since, ya know, our Zeo powers weren't really destroyed or anything. So you should still be able to morph right?" Billy was deep in thought. Around this time we had finished with our brunch(I had woken up around 12 o'clock) and now I had picked up all the dishes and sent them to the sink where they were washing themselves. As the last dish washed itself and set itself to dry in the dish strainer I turned to Billy.

"You might have a point there Amy." Kat blinked.

"But I thought you said that when we're made into Turbo Rangers, we could no longer morph into the Zeo Rangers." Billy shrugged his shoulders.

"It won't hurt to try right?" He gestured toward Tommy. Tommy looked at him in surprise then comprehension filled his face.

"Oh yeah." He stood up, spread his feet apart, and after one look at the rest of us shouted.

"It's morphin time! Zeo Ranger Five Red!" We all wait with bated breath....but nothing happened. Tommy sat back down again dejected Kat puts a hand on his knee. All of us let out disappointed sighs, though I think it was my imagination but I thought I heard a few relieved sighs mixed in with the disappointed ones.

"Well, there goes my theory." Muttered Billy.

"I don't get it, you should be able to turn into a Ranger, I mean the Zeo powers weren't destroyed, we should still have them!" I looked at Billy hoping that he would have the answer or at least a theory. I was frustrated and confused. But he only shook his head.

"If Tommy can't morph....then I guess that we–uh–you guys can't become the Zeo Rangers." I felt anger rise within me. Anger toward my friends and my father. _Dammit! Why did we need to become the Turbo Rangers in the first place? We've endured nothing but trouble ever since we've received these new powers. Goldar returning. One Ranger being captured and tortured, the new Rangers finding out that Tommy and I used to work for the Dark Forces, them turning against us, accusing us of the most ridiculous things._ _The Turbo Team one Ranger short, not to mention that because of that they'll have a good chance of getting killed._ I ran my fingers through my hair._ We were doing just fine as the Zeo Rangers in fact we really didn't need to become the Turbo Rangers at all. What in god's name were we thinking? Accepting the Turbo Power_? _We could have done just fine against Divatox and what's-his-face. We had _my_ power for God's sake! That has helped us a thousand times over in battle. Divatox and her crew aren't even that powerful!_ I let out a sigh and buried my face in my hands. The others wanted to know what was up, but I couldn't tell them, they would just say that everything that had happened wasn't our fault, nor was it dad's. They would say that all of us had no idea that any of this was going to happen. But in a way, I felt that it was our fault. _If we hadn't become the Turbo Rangers, none of this would have happened._

My friends left after a while, Billy was heading back to Aquatar, he was a little nervous about running into Goldar especially with his new staff and power, not to mention his army of souped up Tengu. After kissing me on the cheek and shaking everyone's hands and wishing them good luck with their lives(I grimaced at this) and after we told him to say hello to the Aquatarian Rangers for us Billy walked out the door, and the others went home. Dex stayed for a bit, and I was glad, the both of us sat on the couch wrapped in each other's arms for a while, not saying anything. I was scared, I had no way of knowing how this was all going to turn out, _am I going to have the strength to deal with Goldar, to deal with his army and his games, would I have enough power to face off against him? What if he uses the staff to create a monster and makes it grow? I'll have no way of fighting it. T.J. and the others will probably turn their backs and tell me that it's my problem and that I should deal with it alone. What then? What if he goes after my friends or sister? What if he kills them and forces me to watch? Or worse....what if he captures those that were close to Aisha and shows them....? But Zedd would already have done that long ago, and Goldar could have shown Justin but he didn't._ _Why? Is this how he's getting his kicks? Is this all just a sick game to him?_ I buried my face in Dex's shoulder, wishing that dad was here to give advice. Wishing that I knew what Goldar's game plan was. But I didn't. All I knew was that I wish that all of this was over.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

I sat alone in my apartment on the couch and inspected the computer more closely. Turning it over and over in my hands I marveled at how well it was made and all that it held. Opening it up I ran my fingers over the keyboard, screen and the various buttons it had. Billy had told me that most of the buttons had the same functions as the ones on the console of the Command Center.

"It's pretty simple really, plus you can scan all of Angel Grove for any kind of trouble if you press this button here....no...the other one....yeah that one. You can also check your energy level so you don't use too much energy and wind up in another week long coma. You can also use it to detect any weakness in any enemy." _This will probably not work on Goldar, I'm not even sure if the guy _has_ any weakness. _On a sudden impulse I typed in Tengu Warrior. After a few moments there was a beep, looking at the little screen I was amazed of all the information of the Tengu Warriors that Billy had put into the computer, and most of it I recognized as what I had told Billy all those years ago. There was even a picture of a Tengu, front and back. I scanned the words beside the picture until I came to the last sentence. _No known weaknesses_. I frowned, then shrugged my shoulders._ Thought as much._ When I asked if I could contact dad via the computer Billy shook his head sadly.

"Sorry Amy, believe me, I tried to find a frequency so that the computer will be able to tap into the communication systems of Edenio but....no such luck. Other than being unfamiliar with the how their communications work...." Dex came to his rescue and explained that after someone from Edenio had sent that distress signal that Tentomon had received, somehow Dregon had picked up on it. After the Rangers had left to return to Earth, the frequency had been changed and modified so that Dregon wouldn't be able to locate the communications systems and destroy them. We all had nodded in understanding we didn't want to put Dex's people in any more danger than they already were.

Speaking of danger, I would often pass by Justin's house to see how the kid was doing, I was very careful that no one saw me, so of course I went in my morphed state. Peeking into his room I would see him sitting on his bed, with his books out and open on his desk, but he wasn't even looking at them. He was just staring at the wall with the same look of fear on his face. And I would often wonder if he was replaying the images that Goldar showed him. Then he gave himself a long and hard shake, got up from is bed, walked over to his desk, sat down and began to do his homework. But ten minutes later he would stop and stare at the wall again. He put down his pencil, buried his face in his hands and began to cry. I gave a sigh as I went home wishing that I could talk to Justin and comfort him. _But how can I do that when I can't get near him? _Following him home one day while T.J, Carlos and Cassie were walking beside him, I saw that Justin kept looking over his shoulder and at his surroundings. After watching him for a few moments while the others tried to cheer him up and made various promises that Goldar was not going to go after his father, Justin finally exploded at them. Spinning around to face them I saw to my shock how pale he looked, he had even more darker shadows under his eyes and his they had a slightly mad look to them.

"You think you can keep your promises that you will protect my father when you couldn't even protect me?" He screamed at them. The others looked taken aback at the fury in his voice. I slithered over to a bush and settled myself underneath it to watch as Justin continued to scream at his friends that the Turbo Rangers couldn't possibly stand up to the power that Goldar and the Tengu Warriors had and if they couldn't do that, then they couldn't protect a planet let alone a simple city.

"You know what kind of power that Goldar has, the Tengus alone could kill us. We alone couldn't take them on. Amy would always be the one to bail us out. And if we have trouble just by dealing with a couple of foot soldiers then how are we going to....?" He began to cry. T.J.'s eyes had flashed when Justin had mentioned my name and a look of anger appeared on his face. He still thought that I had something to do with Goldar's return and that all those times that I had saved all of them had been an act. He had to convince Justin that they didn't need me, that they would be able to protect Angel Grove, Justin's dad and Justin all by themselves.

"Justin, we don't need Amy, we've been doing fine on our own and with Dimitria and Alpha helping us out, there is no way that you or you dad will be in any danger. We'll protect you." Instead of looking reassured Justin only looked at T.J. coldly then without a word, took a step back and walked away. _I don't think he believe you T.J._ Cassie, Carlos and T.J. looked at each other helplessly. I knew what they were thinking, it was as if they had spoken out loud. _Can we really protect Justin and his father from Goldar when we can barely protect each other?_ I waited, half expecting for one of them to voice the thought of letting me back on the team, they knew that they couldn't handle Goldar or the Tengu on their own. But they didn't. Instead they just told each other to keep their eyes open and to make sure that Justin and his dad were kept safe. Disgust and anger filled me as they all began to jog to catch up with Justin. _Why can't they see that they need me to fight Goldar and to keep Justin safe? Not to mention sane? They're just too proud to admit that they can't cover all of the bases and when that happens they'll end up being another Ranger short, or find themselves dead. _I slithered from underneath the bush, went behind a tree, materialized and began to limp angrily down the street back to my apartment. It was plain to see that they would never ask me to rejoin the team, thinking that I would double cross them or send them into a trap. Which was just plain ridiculous. _I'll just have to keep an eye on them and help them out whenever Goldar shows up._

A few weeks later we all began to notice that Goldar wasn't the only one that was showing up in the middle of battles, an invisible.....person would come along and fight beside the Rangers and then vanish as quickly has he/she had come. T.J. and Co. were perplexed at to who this new...guy was. The people of Angel Grove noticed as well, a couple of them said that he looked like a ranger yet could turn invisible, and thus dubbed him(are they sure that this new Ranger's a guy?) The Phantom Ranger. My friend's were curious about him and thought that maybe one of our allies saw, or heard that we.. ....I mean...Angel Grove was having a bit of trouble with all the baddies that were attacking the city and sent this guy to help out. But after we contacted Trey, Cestro and the other Aquatarian Rangers, we all received a shock when they all said that neither one of them sent this "Phantom Ranger" In fact as it turned out none of them have ever heard of him. _If our allies have never heard of this guy then there won't be any information about him in the data banks. _Still, the others insisted that I see if there was anything in my computer. There wasn't any. _Okay so we have a new guy in town. I'm cool with that, he seems to be helping out with fighting Divatox and all but why does he continue to pull the old disappearing act? It's starting to get on my nerves. Is it because he doesn't want to be seen? Is he afraid of being confronted knowing that hundreds of questions will be fired his way? If he's showing us that he's an ally of the Rangers then why doesn't he join the team? The rookies sure could use him. _I thought while I limped from one exhibition to another. I was enjoying the peace and solitude of the Museum of History. I stopped in front of a painted picture of a Mastodon and stood gazing at it for a few minutes. My computer could pick up the body heat of invisible foes(believe me they've been used) and whenever I would pick up the Phantom Ranger's heat signature I would always chase after him, calling him to wait that I just wanted to ask him a few questions. But I would always loose him whenever he would....vanish. I'm serious! He would actually vanish in thin air! After a couple of times of being left high and dry by him I began to think that maybe he could teleport, how, is anyone's guess. Speaking of guesses, ever since the Phantom Ranger began to show up, Goldar has become more and more scarce. At first I thought that Goldar was somehow behind the Phantom Ranger, making us all think that the Phantom was on our side but it'll turn out to be a Tengu in disguise. But the Pantom's fighting moves..._those are not the fighting moves of a Tengu Warrior._ _Still the possibility of it being a Tengu in disguise having only _copied_ the fighting moves of a ranger and is only using those moves to trick all of us..... _I moved on to the next picture which showed warriors battling, the background was the color of a burning city. _I wish that I could tell T.J. and the others to be careful of the Phantom Ranger. _A rush of anger filled me. _Stupid kids, they won't get very far with only four Rangers, never mind that one of them is in constant fear of facing Goldar in battle and freezes when the Tengu show up. Why don't they think rationally and ask me to rejoin the team? Do they really think that they'll be able to handle it all? Especially with a sarcastic and rude robot and a mentor that always speaks in questions? It's been 4 weeks and they still haven't found a new Yellow Ranger to replace me, if they don't find a replacement soon all of them are certainly going to get killed, if not by Divatox then by Goldar, who will probably kill T.J., Cassie and Carlos and drive Justin insane. Then where will that leave Angel Grove? I'm only just one Ranger with awesome powers, but even I wouldn't be able to fight for long without the danger of fully being drained, if I try to call on any of my allies to come and help, it would only mean trouble for them. The Alien Rangers will need constant water to keep them going and we don't know if Trey will lose control of his powers again_. About a dozen times I tried to voice my concern about the Rangers being one ranger short to T.J. but he would always begin to shout at me saying.

"Don't you dare come near us traitor! If we let you on the team again, how do we know that you're not going to go racing to your master and start blabbing all of our secrets to him? We do not need your help, we are doing just fine without you!" I was tempted to point out the trouble that they were having finishing off one of Divatox's monsters whenever it grew big(something I would try really hard to prevent) plus the fact that _I_ was the one that made sure that they didn't get themselves killed whenever Goldar attacked, whether they liked it or not. Luckily most of the time, they would have no idea that it was me helping them, I would often prevent the monster from growing or make the playing field more even, in my morphed state, but sometimes I would end up fighting along side them in my normal state. All of them would start yelling at me but I would ignore them. I would try to make my appearances as brief as possible, I didn't want Divatox taking any notice of me thank you very much. Still.....it couldn't go on like this, if I couldn't find a way to become a ranger again soon then things were going to go downhill. I closed my eyes briefly as a flash of dizziness suddenly came over me, as soon as it had passed I opened my eyes once again and found myself face to face with a sabertooth tiger. I looked at it for a long moment, Billy had told me all about the old Zords, the Mastodon, the Tyrannosaurus, the Triceratops and the Sabertooth Tiger Zords. How they were the first zords that the Power Rangers had ever piloted, and how when they came together, they formed the Mega Zord, I had seen it for myself on the day, we had destroyed King Mondo and that sword of his. Speaking of which Tommy had gotten the idea of trying to contact Aisha and asking her for help.

"Maybe she can give us our Zeo power back." But after Kat and I had both began to yell at him, pointing out the new and very powerful danger that was Goldar and the Tengu Warriors.

"Even if and I say if you were able to contact Aisha and have her restore the Zeo Powers, that won't be enough to stand up to Goldar!" Adam spoke up.

"She's right Tommy, remember what it was like after Aisha died? The powerful monsters? And how Zordon had to teleport us out of the battlefield when it got too much which was nearly every time? Remember how we even got to _fear_ of going out onto the battlefield? Of worrying if we were going to come out of it alive? Even Zordon....." His voice cracked and he turned away. After a few moments he regained control and he turned back to face Tommy.

"I lost a very good friend to..." he glanced at me swallowed then continued. "Zedd's forces, I don't _not_ want to lose another ranger and friend." He looked pleadingly at Tommy. I stepped forward.

"He's right Tom. Before I and my powers came along you guys were on your last legs, it was only thanks to my power and the fact that I was half alien and could keep up with Zedd and his army that prevented all of you from joining Aisha. Even if I give you all of my power and you guys go out there and face Goldar...it won't be enough. You guys are only human....and I wish that....other than my powers I could give you my speed and strength...but I can't. I wish that Double-Face had never made me question who my real father was, then I....I wouldn't be feeling this way." I stared at the carpet underneath my feet and kicked at it angrily. _Why me? Why does it always have to be me?_ I stared at the Saber tooth Tiger that was in the glass box and wished myself to be in one also. Then no one would become hurt on account of me, no one would seek revenge against me and hurt the people that I had grown close too. I would be safe, shut away from all the pain, the guilt and the fear that one day I would see my friends die in front of me at the hands of Goldar. _Goldar._ The mere thought of him filled me with rage and hatred. _Why couldn't he leave me alone? Why can't he leave my friends alone? If he wants to kill me then why doesn't he attack me already when I'm in a vulnerable state or when I'm sleeping and get it over with? Why does he continue to play games? Is he hoping that I go completely insane? Does he want me to suffer so much that I'll fall to my knees and beg him to end my life_? My shoulders sagged and I began to wonder how long I could keep on fighting, keep on protecting until I threw in the towel and committed suicide just to stop it all. I looked up at the sabertooth and did a double take. I was so sure that the cat had blinked. I stared at it for a few more minutes, but nothing happened. Thinking that it might have been my imagination, I turned and limped away. As soon as I had exited the museum and gone down the stairs I was about to go get something to eat when my mini-computer beeped. _Great. Just what I need today on top of all of my worries. _I thought for a moment as I limped to a secluded place, opened up the computer and checked out the screen. Tengu Warriors were at the mall nearby and smashing everything in sight not to mention terrorizing the people shopping there. I shut the computer, morphed into a puddle and raced there as fast as I could. _Maybe this will be a good thing, I mean isn't exercise a good way to chase away bad feelings and all? _I arrived at the mall and began to race to and fro behind the Tengu, underneath them or beside them and using my powers to fling them or to blast them back and away from the people. I also began to repair everything that the Tengu Warriors had broken but then stopped, _I could do that later. _I saw a Tengu chase after a family while they were fleeing, suddenly it was flung away high into the air, but it spread its wings and continued the chase. I was busy protecting the other families that were being attacked, flinging away the Tengus, levitating the broken glass from the department stores and flinging it at them, I heard one give out a shriek but I didn't look to see what was happening. _There's too many of them! I can't fight them like this!_ I began to fire Power Blasts everywhere, hitting the Tengus, telekinetically shoving the people out of the way, using everything that was around me to fling at them or to use them as shields. Suddenly I froze when I heard a scream, a human scream rip through the air.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" I turned and saw to my horror a Tengu was standing over a little girl, tears were streaming down her eyes, her parents were on the ground in front of her, both of their throats slashed open, blood was forming into a puddle beneath their bodies. The Tengu stood over the girl, talons dripping with blood. It let loose a cackle, bent down and snatched up the girl as she tried to run. It held her up high in the air, pulled back its right arm talons splayed. I shot forward, thinking that I would be able to save her, that I would heal her parents, that they would thank me then run, and possibly move away from Angel Grove to someplace that was safe, where there no monsters waiting to attack them, or to use them as bait. I didn't see the beam until it was too late, it engulfed me. I screamed as I was levitated into the air and assumed my human form. I began to squirm and wriggle as pain lanced through me. I was struggled to push it away and focus on using my power to blast the living crap out of Goldar.

"Y–yellow Ranger P–power B–blast!!" I shouted pointing both hands at the ground, I shot up into the air and blessed relief washed over me as the pain vanished, but then it turned into terror as I felt something grab a hold of me and was drawing me once again toward the ground. I shot forward, I let out a yell as the ground continued to grower closer and closer at an alarming rate! I struggled to stop myself. _Stop!stop!stop!_ I focused all of the power in my mind, and then just as I was a foot from smashing face first into the cement, I stopped. I breathed a sigh, but not before I was blasted into the side, I flew into a table, it smashed underneath me, I let out a groan. _Tell me again why I gave up being a Ranger?_ I thought to myself as I began to struggle to my feet. But before I could even regain my footing I was ruthlessly picked up by invisible hands and thrown through a glass window. The people, customers and sales people alike, who were cowering behind the counters or in the dressing rooms, gave out shrieks as I came flying in, I landed on the floor and laid there. A couple of them peeked out and saw that I wasn't moving, they looked at each other wondering who I was and whether I was even alive. They crept out of their hiding places and started toward me, then they stopped when a yellow light engulfed me. After it faded they stared in amazement when I stirred and sat up, a few moments later I stood up on unsteady feet. One man approached me.

"Are you all right?" I was careful not to turn toward him. He took a step back as I held my hand in front of me and a sword appeared in mid air, gripping it I limped through the window, stopped and with my face still turned away, I reassured the people that it will all over soon. Far off in the middle of the courtyard, eyes the color of blood and armor the color of the darkest night stood Goldar, he laughed at the people that had been brought to him, who cowered at his feet., he was going to kill them just like he would kill Justin and the other Turbo Rangers, he looked up and smiled when he saw me coming toward him. People were still running, being chased by the Tengu Warriors, a few people were lying on the ground pools of blood growing beneath them. The little girl whose parents had died trying to protect her was dead also. But for all the death, terror and destruction that was around us, we could have been the only two people in the courtyard. Goldar drew out his sword and began to run toward me. My eyes were locked on him as I began to limp as fast as I could to met him. As I was limping toward my enemy to do battle, I suddenly knew why it had to be me to take on Goldar, why it had to be me that had to destroy him and save everyone that I loved from his cruelty. _It's because that it _has_ to be me, I'm the only one that can beat him, I'm the only one that can match him blow by blow, strength by strength, power by power. In a way....he's the one that created me, he's the one that made me so strong, both he and Zedd, when they helped Dregon kill my earth parents, when I was placed underneath that spell that made me kill Aisha and take her place. All of the obstacles that they threw at me...they only made me stronger and more determined to stop them. Goldar thought that by turning the rookies against me and showing Justin nearly everything that I had done in the past, he thought that by making me quit the Turbo Rangers, I would be vulnerable and easy to kill since I wasn't a Power Ranger anymore. But he was wrong_. I've _always_ been _a Power Ranger and it just took me until now to figure out that I have always had the power to become one. _I spread out my arms and shouted at the top of my voice so that it echoed throughout the nearly empty courtyard.

"ZEO RANGER......POWER!!" I was engulfed in a yellow light, and when it faded, Goldar stopped in his tracks and stared as well as the Tengu Warriors, for they were no longer staring at Amy Karmer, they were staring at a Zeo Ranger, who continued to race toward them, sword glowing with power.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

_Does anyone realize how good it feels to have my Ranger suit on again and to be able to fight out in the open once again, without any fear of anyone finding out who/what I really am? _I leaped up and fired a Power Blast at Goldar who dodged it, but was knocked back a few feet when I laid on him a Ranger Kick, he stumbled back a few steps lost his balance and fell down.. He got up and raced at me, lifting his sword high he brought it down on me, at the same time the Tengu all sprang and I was swallowed in a sea of feathers and talons, I caught the sword just in time with one hand and was struggling to break free of the pile. A blast of yellow power shot from the depths of the Tengu pile, Tengu were flying in every direction. Some of them smashed into the ground, tables or the walls of the stores, some of them managed to open their wings and catch themselves in the air. Goldar was one of them, he powered dived toward me. I leapt up, became airborne and met him head on. We both yelled as we raised our weapons high, Goldar slashed down at me, I ducked, spun around and slashed and kicked at him, he let out a grunt as one of my attacks hit him. The Tengu were all around us, power diving me, trying to knock me out of the sky or distract me long enough so that Goldar would be able to slice me in half. I spun in the air dodging Goldar's blasts, his sword, the Tengu's talons and fists. Ducking, weaving, spinning and slashing, they were too distracted with killing me to notice the tables and chairs zooming up from the ground to met them. I curled up into a ball so the tables and chairs had a good clean shot. _Bam!!_ The Tengu Warriors were slammed upward and away, Goldar had moved out of the way before he could get hit. Without a moment to spare I charged at him, I held my sword low, he saw me coming and back flipped over me, I turned my body so that I was on my back and thrust my sword up, he let out a scream as my blade met flesh, Goldar clutched his hand glaring at me as he hovered.

"Lucky shot." He snarled.

"Oh, I wouldn't call that luck Goldar, I call that perfect timing." I said as I twirled my blood stained sword.

"Little brat. How were you able to morph again into a ranger?"

"I became a ranger again by realizing that I and only I can beat you. Because, ironically you and your master made me who I am today. Instead of taking away my strength and power, everything that the both of did to me has only made me stronger. " His eyes blazed.

"It was a mistake for suggesting to Zedd that you be allowed to live, and look what happened! A thousand times over we struggled to find a way to break you. We took away your earth parents, made sure that you didn't get there in time, took away your beloved sister Kimberly, made you relive the night that _you_ killed Aisha. Filled you with so much guilt, regret and hatred for your friends, but none of that was enough!!! Somehow you found strength to go on, to keep on fighting, and you used that against Lord Zedd and against your personal demons. How can a mere human have so much strength and power?"

"You forget Goldar, I am not a mere human, I am a half human. I guess Eltarians are a lot more stronger than 'mere humans', still half of the credit goes to you and Zedd." His bleeding hand clutched his sword tightly, making a few drops fall to the ground far below us, eyes blazing with anger and hatred he said in a low voice.

"How dare you! We tried many ways to break you, to kill you, but you had help. Someone else gave you back your power and your life on that day you died at our hands. Tell me, WHO WAS IT? WHO HAS BEEN HELPING YOU ALL OF THIS TIME?"

"I won't answer that Goldar, because it's a secret of mine and mine alone. No one can take that away from me, not even you!"

"Fine! I'LL FORCE IT OUT OF YOU!" He screamed as he charged at me.

"YOU WILL NEVER LAY A HAND ON ME EVER AGAIN!" I shouted as I shot forward as well, both of our weapons glowed and power went flying in all directions as they met in combat. I faked a right and left punch and kneed him in the chin, I brought the hilt of my sword down hard on the back of his head, he swerved out of the way, I drew back to avoid his wing from crashing into me. His fist shot out, I ducked, his sword slashed at my hand, nearly slicing it off my wrist. I spun, he slashed at my legs, I yanked them up, then kicked out, catching Goldar in the chest. I spun, getting in a quick punch to the right side of his face, ducked low and shot out my foot and tripped him. He let out a grunt as for a second he lost momentum and started to plummet to the ground below but he regained it by turning his body around and spreading his wings. I shot my body forward and was able to get in a few good punches and kicks. I thought of all those people down on the ground below dead or dying and my anger rose. I put more power behind my attacks, I was sure that I knocked a tooth out. With the way that I was beating him, I began to think that maybe there was a sure chance that those people down there could be saved, no matter how slim it seemed, no matter if those people were hanging by a thread, I had to save them! _I will save them!_ I shot upward, Goldar tried to swipe at me with his sword. _Funny how he isn't using his staff, maybe he's running low on power, although that's highly unlikely._ When I had died at Zedd's hands on that day, not only did he take my life, he took my entire power as well! I had been shaken when all of us had found out that out, strangely enough his monsters only received the same amount of power as before, my guess was that he wanted to use the entire strength of the power on me. To punish me for all that I had done to him. _But why not use the staff on me like he did before? With it he easily defeated the rookies, and he took care of Divatox's monster with just one blast._

"Power Blast!" I shouted shooting forward at the same time I had unleashed the blast and was morphing in midair._ I've got to end this now! Those people are well on their way_, _please hang on._ While in morph I concentrated as I caught up with my Power Blast and merged with it! _Blue Elf is so going to freak when I tell him._ I thought as I saw the look of surprise and shock on Goldar's face. He tried to dodge but I had already reached him, sparks flew as I began to punch, kick and slash at him. While I was attacking I began to noticed that I was getting tired as well. _All those attacks that I unleashed are tiring me out, I must not let him see. He'll use it to his advantage. This last attack out do the trick, I'll have to put everything behind it. _I opened up my palm and directed it at Goldar

**Note: I'm going to use this same attack in a later chapter, I just wanted to try this out now and see how you like it, its from one of the DBZ movies**.

"ENERGY BLAST!!!" I shouted. Goldar gave out a yell as he was blown back and sent spinning, then he turned tail and flew off. _Worked like a charm._ I thought, then I put one hand to my forehead as dizziness swept over me. _Heh, I guess I must have used too much, but at least I'm still standing_. I thought as I turned my body and zoomed down to the dying people on the ground. Hovering over the carnage I looked at them all, some of the people that I had saved were out in the courtyard staring up at me. _They've must have watched the battle._ I thought. The people gazed up at me and watched as I spread out my arms and from my hands came a yellow light that engulfed all of the people that were dying. Soon all of their wounds were healed and they had gotten up groggily to the gasps of amazement of the others. Soon all of them were helping each other up and looking around as the broken chairs, tables and smashed store windows were repaired and fixed. The courtyard looked as it did once before. _I wish I can do more that just fix, heal and protect them, I wish I can take them away from Angel Grove, so that they won't get caught in the middle of this war._ I sighed, happy that I was able to save the people yet sad that I couldn't protect them more better. I gave a wave of goodbye to them and flew away while shouts of gratitude followed me.

As soon as I got home I conked out on the couch and took a long nap, by the time I had woken up, it was twilight. Feeling refreshed and recharged(a little joke there), I decided to go out to eat. _I need to think what all of this might mean._ After taking a shower and letting my hair down so that it could air dry, I got my purse and limped out the door and down the stairs. I thought about all that had went on before the battle and my mind began to focus on the wink of the sabertooth tiger. _Was that really my imagination? Or was that Aisha? Why didn't she appear before me like before? Did she give me back the power to morph?_ I thought about the moment when I was limping toward the battle and the moment I had morphed._ I didn't sense her, or see her. _I frowned as I pulled out my mini computer and began to check for the data banks for restaurants that weren't too busy at this time of night. After checking a couple and not really being decisive on what I wanted to eat, I settled on a restaurant that served burgers and shakes. Finding one that was near by I arrived to it and saw to my delight that it was not too crowded. After being seated I looked over the menu and chose what I would eat as the waitress took the menu away and wrote my order she took off to see that my order was placed. I got out a book, opened it and pretend to read. _All those people in the mall must be asking themselves where I came from, for all they know I could be a completely different person underneath the mask._ _Well at least now they can breathe a bit more easier now that a Zeo Ranger has returned and is now fighting Goldar. _There already have been several newscasts of the rookies battles with Divatox's monster, unfortunately after they were done finishing it off Goldar would show up and hand their butts to them. That's when I would come in, in morph levitating anything and everything to drive Goldar and the Tengu back(which wasn't easy), firing Power Blasts and sometimes fighting hand to hand combat while assuming a liquified but human like form. Sad to say that I couldn't keep it up for very long, I would get tired real fast whenever I had to contain my morphed state but I kept at it. Even though after the battle was over and Goldar and Co. had fled, I would resume my puddle form and drag myself away. I received no gratitude from the rookies and I didn't expect any. Now though, I could fight in my true form without having to hide. I paused, I felt pretty sure that I was in no greater danger than I was before I retained the power to morph. _But what about Tommy and the others? What if Goldar thinks that since I could morph into a Ranger again, so could the others. I'll need to keep an eye on them and let them know of my fears, even if they laugh it off or say that there couldn't be a possibility that Goldar will not go after them. _Just then an idea came to me. _The rookies don't know that I'm the Yellow Zeo Ranger but even if they do find out it'll be too late, by that time I'll have already talked to Justin about what he went through and what he's seen at the hands of Goldar on that day._ The thought excited me, I would be able to talk to Justin without being threaten or found out. I jumped when I saw my plate being set in front of me. The waitress saw my reaction.

"Sorry about that."

"Not to worry, thank you." She nodded , then took off to see the needs of another customer. As I ate I began to plan. _It may seem kind of late to talk to him, but better now than never and maybe I can convince him to let the rookies let me back on the team. But how do I go about it in the----? Ah! I could go up to his room, but as the Yellow Ranger, I'll just tell him that I'm a Ranger from the past. He's never met any of the past Rangers, so he should want to talk to them. I'll need to keep in character and disguise my voice, I can't let him recognize me or he'll think that I'll do him more harm._ _I'll have to see if my mini computer has a voice disguiser, I wonder if I should give it a name? Nah. _The more I thought about it, the more I knew that it would work. _Hopefully, _I thought as I turned a page, _having the talk will help Justin a great deal and will make him understand that Tommy and I are not traitors._ I suddenly turned into the talk that was going on around me, a couple of times I heard the word "Zeo Ranger"

"Did you hear? That big alien with the black armor and his birds attacked a mall full of people today." A woman told her companion. Her companion let out a gasp.

"No."

"Yes." Said the first woman. "The birds just began to attack everybody within sight, even killed some people!"

"Oh my god!" Her friend gasped in horror.

"It's true, they tore up that mall as though it were a playground for them." The second woman let out a horrified gasp.

"Where were the Power Rangers?"

"I'm not sure, but another Ranger suddenly appeared."

"You mean the Phantom Ranger?"

"No. I mean another Ranger, she, ran forward and began to kick some serious butt." The companion stared at her friend. I grinned pleased.

"You were there?"

"Yes, I was. I was working when the attack happened, they came without warning. I thought for sure that this was going to be my last day on earth."

"Oh you poor dear." said the companion with sympathy in her voice.

"But then this girl appeared and was attacked by that monster with the black armor, sent her crashing through the window." Her companion let out a gasp.

"When she landed before us we thought for sure that she was dead, then a golden light lit up her body and she stood up!"

"She could heal herself?" gasped her companion, her voice filled with awe.

"Apparently so, then she stood up, and a sword appeared before her. She told us that everything will be over soon, then she took off. Straight toward those birds and the black armored guy!!!" The companion was silent, I chanced a quick peek and saw that her mouth had dropped open and was staring at her friend in astonishment. I turned back to my food but kept my ears pricked.

"What happened next?" The companion sounded as if close to bursting with curiosity. The first woman continued.

"As she was running she shouted out something and then she morphed into a Power Ranger!!!" The companion let out an excited squeal like a young school girl.

"Then the both of them met head on, but those birds came in and were all over her, but this burst of yellow light blasted all of them back. Then they took to the air and actually began to fight as though the were on the ground!!"

"She could fly??" Her friend asked in astonishment.

"Yes. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. Even though we were too far away to really see anything we could hear the sounds of battle and I'm pretty sure that she must have released some sort of energy blasts like the one that blew all of them away the first time. Oh it was amazing! Fantastic really!" I began to blush. Even though I have been hearing praise for the Power Rangers victories for the past two years, still to hear that much praise befalling on me and me alone.... The woman continued.

"Then after it was all over she flew down toward us, spread out her hands and a golden light came from both of them and healed all of the injured people around us!"

"Wow! Now _I_ wish that I had been there."

"Well it was amazing but it was frightening as well."

"Did the other Rangers appear to help her out?" The first woman was silent I could almost hear the frown that appeared on her face.

"No. They weren't there, nor did they appear to help her." Her friend also frowned after hearing this.

"That's not like them, usually they come to each other's aide." I peeked again and saw the first woman appear to be deep in thought.

"Actually, I think it was a different Ranger that helped us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well for one thing her suit was completely different from that of the other Rangers, plus she seemed....more powerful...the power that she had......she was amazing! Sent those birds and that monster packing all by herself!"

"Wow!" Then they began to disguise the possibility of the Yellow Ranger being an alien.

I nearly choked on my food when my mini computer began to play the tune that meant that I was receiving an e-mail message. Quickly opening it, I saw that I had at least twenty messages from my friends wanting to know where I was, and to explain what they had just witnessed on the news and to explain how in god's name could I morph into a Zeo Ranger after all of this time? And they have been trying to contact me all day, why didn't I answer any of their phone calls and what the hell were all those light shows? I smiled amusingly. _I guess I must have been more tired than I realized, I didn't even hear the thing go off. _I typed back to them to met me at my apartment, I finished eating, paid the bill, got up and left.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"You morphed? You were able to morph into a Zeo Ranger?"

"How?"

"Was it Aisha? Did you see her?"

I held up my hands to quell the overflow of questions from my friends. They settled down although Blue Elf and Adam called out a couple more questions. I explained about the winking sabertooth in the museum, my beeping mini computer, seeing Goldar and the Tengu attacking the people at the mall, rushing to try to save and protect the people. Crashing into the window, getting up and reassuring everyone then running head first into battle.

"And I just knew that it had to be me because....well....because since I'm half alien and I have these powers, I could stand up to Goldar and beat him And....I morphed." It still felt incredible, after all this time, even though I would often wish that I could morph into a Zeo Ranger once again(I didn't like my Turbo helmet) I never really expected to have my wish come true. It was both exciting and scary, I was starting to think that maybe being able to morph into a Ranger again was going to bring a whole new set of problems. _Speaking of which..._ I lifted up my head and told my friends of what I planned to do with Justin. As I explained my friend's faces turned worried, they were unsure that my plan would work.

"It sounds like a good plan Short Stuff but....there could still be a chance that Justin won't listen, even if it is a Ranger from the past."

"What if the Power Chambers sensors pick up on you using your powers?" asked Tommy. I shook my head and explained that I had changed any and all data that the computer had on me and my power.

"So when they look up the computers data base, they'll only see that 'my power' and Goldar's is actually from our wise and powerful mentor. I did all of this after Goldar came back, I was afraid that the computers would recognize Goldar's power as my power that was stolen all those years ago." My friends were staring at me, then Tommy nodded in approval.

"If you hadn't done that Amy then there would be no way to convince T.J. and the others that you're not working with Goldar." I nodded, even though it was too late for that.

"But what if they ask how Goldar came to have "Zordon's power" in the first place?" asked Kat. I gave her a shrewd look.

"I'll just tell them that I was captured one day and Lord Zedd extracted the power from me to power his staff. It's not a lie."

"But not exactly the truth." said Adam.

"Think they'll believe it?" asked Tommy. I gave a snort.

"If they believe the lies that an enemy had told them, and not the veteran rangers that trained them and entrusted them to protect the Earth from that crackpot Divatox, they'll believe anything." I sat back in my chair with my arms crossed behind my head.

"They don't have the experience that we have." My friends nodded in agreement.

Over the next couple of days the entire city was abuzz with news of the mysterious Ranger that had saved the lives of the people at the mall. Witness after witness was interviewed time and again, questions were asked, speculations were made, and theories became known. I watched all of this with a wary eye, knowing that reporters would be near the battles hoping to catch a glimpse of me and most likely put themselves in danger. To save them the trouble I typed up a letter explaining who I was(a veteran Ranger who had come out of retirement) and my purpose for returning to the battlefield once again. Unfortunately this only fueled their curiosity and they demanded more questions I made a list of the questions that they asked by watching the news, and searching on the internet. I was thinking of what kind of answers I should give the city, which questions I should answer and wondering whether or not I should even bother. _They're still going be curious._ I thought as I rested my aching wrist. _Heh. Wonder if Batman or Spider man ever did this._ Behind me I heard four chairs being scrapped back as four people sat down at the table. I was careful only to turn my head slightly in their direction, even though I didn't need to, I would have still heard them perfectly well.

"So no one, not even the computers have any idea who this new Ranger is?" asked T.J.

"No. I guess this must have been way beyond Zordon's time." said Carlos.

"Whoever this new Ranger is, she sure is powerful." said Justin.

"Yeah, did you see how she sent Goldar and those Tengu Warriors packing?" Cassie's voice was filled with awe.

"She certainly knew how to handle them, it was as if she had battled them before." said T.J in a thoughtful voice.

"Maybe they have met in combat before but maybe on a different planet or something. Whoever this new Ranger is...she can't be human, the energy of all that power...it was off the charts!" said Carlos. I smiled. I had erased each and every bit of data that the computer had on the Zeo Rangers.

"But why is she here in Angel Grove? And why is she fighting Goldar instead of helping us fight Divatox?" asked Justin.

"Well the Phantom Ranger _is _helping us out, maybe she thinks that we have enough people fighting off Divatox, so she's helping us by fighting Goldar?" said Cassie, I noted a slight change in her voice when she said "Phantom Ranger" and blinked. _Did I hear a bit of affection in her voice? Or am I hearing things?_

"What I want to know is why does this new Ranger have the same suit color as that traitor's?" They no longer called me by my name. "And why does she have the power to preform a Power Blast?" asked T.J

"Tommy and the others never mentioned any other Rangers but themselves." said Justin quietly.

"Do you think that Zordon mentored other Rangers besides them?" asked Cassie. I saw Carlos shrug.

"I don't know, it could be possible."

"Maybe we could try to contact her, ask her why it's only her that's come to Angel Grove to fight Goldar?"asked Justin. T.J was silent. He was staring down at his drink.

"Maybe." He finally said after a few moments. The others looked at him curiously.

"What's up T.J?" asked Cassie looking at him with concern in her eyes. He glanced up at her and shook his head.

"It's just that....just that...oh never mind its stupid." he sipped at his drink moodily while the others began to ask him to talk to them, tell them why he was so bummed all of a sudden.

"Alright...well...its just that....I find it....ah...I just don't get it! Here we are the Turbo Rangers, the _new_ generation of Rangers, powerful new zords, suits and weapons who are taking on a crazy space pirate and we can't even take on this....this space monkey and his crows. What makes this new ranger so special? How can _she_ beat him as if it was nothing while _we_ get our butts kicked and almost get our heads chopped off?" The others were silent for a moment. Then to my astonishment Justin _of all people agreed! And he even spoke, in fact all of them, spoke as if they were jealous!_

"Yeah, isn't she and Goldar supposed to be like old school or something? I mean look at thier weapons, old fashioned swords and a staff. Why is it that we can't beat him when we've got this awesome new power? New _should _beat old." My mouth dropped open in outrage. I was speechless. _I can't believe it. Are they actually....? _I had to force myself not to turn around and start yelling at them. I clutched my pencil tightly in my hand and my outrage grew as I listened further.

"And how is it that only _one Ranger _can beat Goldar and his army while it takes _five of us _just to beat and destroy a monster that Divatox sends down, it takes all of us just to beat Elgar and the Piranhatrons, but with Goldar it takes just _one Ranger?" _I could hear the growing outrage in T.J's voice.

"Yeah and what makes her so powerful huh? What's her secret as to why she could beat Goldar and the Tengu all by herself and easily I might add. While _we_ struggle to beat just one monster?" _Easy? They think that just because I have this power they think that all those battles with Goldar are easy?_ My hand tighten on my pencil so hard that it hurt, my pencil made a soft cracking sound.

"Ya know maybe she isn't even human, maybe she's an alien like Goldar. That would explain away those powers of hers." said Cassie. The others nodded in agreement and began to speculate, Ernie came by just then to take my empty cup away.

"Amy? You alright?" He asked. I turned to glare at him and he took a few steps back. I forced myself to relax and not vent out my anger and growing outrage toward him.

"Sorry about that Ernie." Around this time the rookies had already taken off.

"Its just that I....." I paused wondering why I felt the need to talk to someone. _Ernie might not be a close friend or anyone that I can spill my deepest secrets to but he was a pretty good listener._ _And....he did provide me with all of the free chocolate shakes that I could drink after my earth parents died._

"Can I ask you something?" He set down the cup that he was drying.

"Sure."

"What do you think of all of this? I mean what's happening in Angel Grove right now?" He was silent for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Truthfully, I scared out of my wits right now. Two wars going on in this city and all of us in the middle, and we didn't do _anything_ to these guys. A lot of families are packing up and running away to other places, more safer ones. Even though I, myself, have thought about packing it in and getting out of dodge, I don't. I have full confidence that the Power Rangers will protect us and see us through, they've done before. They can do it again." I felt a glow of pride and warmth flood through me.

"What about this Yellow Ranger that's appeared to fight the gold dude and the birds. What do you think of her?" I was curious to know. In the past Ernie had been a target, but not too many times, thank god. He had even offered to show his gratitude for saving his life, by treating us to smoothies and shakes.

"Well, she kind of reminds me of those Rangers that appeared when those robots began attacking us. So.....maybe that group saw or heard that the new generation of Power Rangers have their hands full with those weird fish and this gold guy and thought that she should come down here and help. I'm kind of relieved though."

"Oh, why?" Even though I already knew the answer.

"Well whenever this gold dude and those birds show up and fight the Rangers," he glanced around wary that one of the Rangers was close by and would overhear. He lowered his voice.

"They get their butts handed to them....big time!" He seemed to wince as though remembering . I winced as well, the rookies would get beaten up pretty badly by Goldar and the Tengu, even the Phantom Ranger had gotten his butt kicked a couple of times, but that was mostly due to the blasts that Goldar would send his way, whenever it looked as if his Tengu were bieng picked off by an invisible foe. The blasts that Goldar would unleash would send the Phantom Ranger reeling, and Goldar wouldn't stop when the poor guy was on the ground. I had to step in a couple of times and scream at the Phantom to "get your butt off the ground and get the hell out of here!"

"I'm glad that she's here, with what the Rangers have to deal with now not to mention Angel Grove...we need all the help that we can get." I nodded as well.

"Thanks Ernie." I said as I slid off my stool and began to dig around in my purse for my wallet. I thanked him again and limped away.

I stood in front of Justin's house, it was near twilight. And I was in my Ranger suit mentally practicing what I was going to say and also anticipating any questions that Justin will have for me. Using my computer's voice scrambler I had managed to change my voice so that it sound like Aisha's. _Hope she doesn't mind._ I thought as I morphed into liquid and slithered up the side of his house until I reached Justin's window. I inched myself up until I could see into his room, he was there on his bed and he seemed to be having a nightmare. I paused for a minute wondering if I should wait until he woke up. _Now's a good time as any._ I made myself flat so that I could slide between the window and the wall. It was a little difficult, for I had never entered a room via a window before. Finally I was slithering down the wall of the inside of Justin's room. _Phew! For a moment there I thought for sure that I was going to get stuck between the bottom of the window and the wall. _I reached the floor and took a few moments to catch my breath, then I materialized. Justin rolled onto his right side so that he was facing me. I looked toward the door and it closed. I took one step toward the sleeping boy, knelt down beside him and began to softly call to him. He stirred and shifted onto his back but didn't wake up, I straighten up and laid a hand on his shoulder and started to try to shake him, when his eyes snapped open. They moved to look at me, we stared at each other for a while.

"Don't be afraid Justin. I'm not going to hurt you." It was weird using a dead Ranger's voice as my own, even more stranger to hear it. He stared at me and sat up, he rubbed his eyes and looked at me up and down.

"Who are you?" he finally asked.

"My name is Zeo Ranger 2, I was one of the Rangers that fought the Machine Empire and Prince Gasket a long time ago. You can look them up in the Power Chamber's data banks." He stared at me.

"How do you know about the Power Chamber and what is the Machine Empire?" I chuckled.

"Look them up in the computer's data banks, it'll answer your questions about them. The other Zeo Rangers and I used the Power Chamber as our headquarters ." I stopped and looked at him waiting for the questions. He was silent for a few moments. He seemed to be struggling, unsure of what to say or ask first. After a few moments he asked.

"So you and the other Zeo Rangers used the Power Chamber?" I nodded and thought that I should help him out a bit.

"Yes, our leader was Zordon. He sensed that Goldar had returned to Angel Grove and contacted me."

"And sent you."

"That's right."

"Just you? What about the rest of your team?"

"Zordon didn't want to bring them out of their peaceful lives, all of them had suffered at the hands of both Goldar and his master Lord Zedd. So he gave me back my morphing powers and sent me to deal with Goldar on my own. I don't mind though." I gave a shrug of my shoulders.

"How can he send you to fight Goldar on your own? Goldar's powerful! And those Tengu Warriors...." He shivered.

"I have powers that Zordon gave me before I came to earth, and I can handle Goldar." Justin looked at me for a few minutes.

"So you used those powers against Goldar to save all of those people the other day." I nodded.

"Uh-hu. You betcha, I sent him and his flying turkeys packing." Justin glanced down at his feet.

"You were awesome." he mumbled.

"Thank you." He looked up at me.

"Do you think that you.....that you c—can join the Turbo team? We could really use your help."

"Why would you need my help? Don't you already have a full team?" Justin shifted uneasily and I crossed my arms over my chest as I looked down at him.

"Well....see...we don't exactly have a full team."

"You don't?" I put disbelief in my voice. He shook his head silently. And went on to explain as soon as he was finished I gave a sigh.

"Justin, we Rangers.....in our early days we make mistakes and we wish with all of our might that we can undo them for they come back to haunt us. Our enemies are usually the ones that make us relive our mistakes over and over so that is all that we can think about and we think that no matter how hard we try to set things right, everything _can't_ be set to right thanks to that one little mistake and it ends up being the center of our lives. But then with the help of our friends and mentors we get past them and move on to kick alien butt. This Ranger....what's her name?"

"Amy."

"This Amy could be feeling horrible that she wasn't able to stop Goldar from doing those terrible things to you and she would do anything to change it all. Do you and the other rangers honestly think that she would _want_ you to suffer as she did at the hands of Goldar and Lord Zedd? She has risked her life time and again to right the wrongs that she has been forced to do and so that her team mates, her friends will not have to suffer as she did. She has taken every blow that was meant for her team mates, her body, countless of times has been broken and damaged, her mind has been played with so that she starts to question her sanity, and all of this so that she can shield her friends. So.....you shouldn't look at her as a traitor look at her as a warrior that has suffered a lot to protect those that she held near and dear to her, and will try her hardest to see that no one, and I mean _no one_ go through what she's gone through. You have to forgive her for what she's done. Because then and only then will she forgive herself. Do you understand me?" I had knelt to his level and stared into his eyes. His eyes were blazing. I took a step back in surprise

When next he spoke his voice was filled with anger.

"How can we forgive her when she knew about Goldar's power and didn't tell us? How can we forgive her when she knew that Goldar would return to earth and not tell us? How can we ever _ever_ forgive her for not telling us,_ her team mates, her friends_ that she used to work for.....for...." Tears were streaming down his face. His shoulders were shaking.

"I'll never forgive her, never, not after what I've seen....." He began to cry.

"Justin, even you don't forgive her....for what she was forced to do, I know for a fact that it was forced." I said when Justin gave me a dubious look

"But your team. You need a fifth Ranger, you can not win this war with just the four of you. Sooner or later Divatox will exploit your weakness and the Turbo team will fall. You have to let Amy back onto the team. Sure she's hidden from you the fact that she used to work for the dark forces, but what Ranger hasn't at one point in their lives? By being placed underneath the spells we gain insight into the minds of our enemies, we see weak points and as soon as we're out of the spell we use our new found knowledge to take them down and in the process we gain strength in ourselves and what we are fighting for. Please Justin, allow Amy to once again be a part of your team, it'll help things, it'll help you. You and she....you two can become a lot more closer as friends, she can help you understand the things that you saw, what you went through. She could help you ease the pain, lessen the weight of the nightmares, and most of all....she'll help you not feel so alone." I looked at him hoping that I got through to him, and he'll tell the others, and they'll let me back on the team. But to my astonishment I didn't see understanding on his face, only rage and anger. He stood up I nearly toppled over backwards but managed to get to my feet.

"I will never allow Amy to become a part of the team _never_, she may betray us again." Snapped Justin, he took a step toward me suspicion was on his face as he glared up at me.

"Justin I–Amy will never _never_ betray you, think about it. If she wanted to betray the Rangers then why now? Why betray a whole new set of Rangers? If she was going to turn traitor, then why didn't she turn on her own team?"

"Maybe she didn't turn traitor to her own team because she knew that they would kill her once they found out, so she decided to wait until she found a nice pair of dumb rookies that she could fool and lie to and they would never know it, because they think that all Rangers can do no wrong, _have done no wrong_. But they find out that it's a lie, everything! A LIE! Rangers can do wrong, they can do horrible things, they can keep secrets, tell lies to their team mates, who put their faith and trust in them. _Faith and trust_. Only to have it ripped from you when you find out the horrible truth. Its all her fault that I'm like this, its her fault that I can't fight without freezing whenever I see a Tengu Warrior, its her fault that I'm afraid to go to sleep at night because what Goldar has shown me it...it keeps replaying in my head over and over again. I can't think straight in school or on the battle field, it's her fault that everyone thinks that I'm going crazy. It's...it's....." Tears were streaming down his face, I put up my hand and concentrated. Justin's head fell forward, his eyes closed, I caught him just as he was about to hit the floor, I carried him to his bed, pulled back the covers and tucked him in. _I'm sorry Justin. I should have known that I wouldn't be able to convince you, even if I did take on the guise of a dead Ranger. I just thought that there might have been a chance to ease your pain, but now I wonder if you want your pain to go away at all. For when you experienced your pain, you also experienced truth as well and you....I guess you want to hold on to that truth. Because it shows you that even good people can do wrong, people that you used to look up to, people that you relied on can let you down. I'm sorry that you had to learn this the hard way, I truly am. But at least you won't be able to remember any of this. _I used my eltarian powers to erase his memory of our conversation, I figured it was for the best. I morphed into liquid, squeezed beneath the widow, down the side of the house and went behind a bush, there I materialized and demorphed and stepped out into the open. I turned back and looked at Justin's window, then I turned and limped away.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"So your talk with Justin didn't help matters in the least?" asked Dex. I shook my head.

"No, he was working himself into a frenzy so I had to erase his mind." He stared at me.

"I didn't know that Eltarians had that kind of power." he looked at me for a moment.

"So how did you erase his memory?"

"Well, I saw that my talk was hurting him instead of helping him so, I began to wish that I could make it so that the conversation had never happened. And....my hand began to glow and....I don't know...even though it was a first for me, I–I knew what I had to do. I entered Justin's mind a-and...erased the conversation." I turned to see that Dex was looking at me with a mystified expression on his face.

"You had no idea what you were doing, and yet you know _what_ you were doing?" I nodded.

"Yeah, I know it's weird and all and I don't know if I could do it again but....it felt like I've done it before." Both of us were silent for a couple of minutes, I was staring straight ahead while Dex was staring at me.

"Amy, do you think that....'your past self' must have surfaced and helped you out?" I turned my head and stared at him.

"My past self?" I echoed confused.

"I mean....your Eltarian self. Maybe there are some situations where the person that you used to be will surface and help you out. Remember when you first held your sword and how you wield it in battle." I nodded remembering. The sword that dad had given me did feel familiar in my hands and even though it was the first time that I had ever handled a sword, I had wield it with....confidence and familiarity.

"Hmm. You maybe right Dex. Maybe I'm starting to get my memory back."

I began to notice that other than being crazy, Divatox was annoying as well. The thing that really got on my nerves was, whenever it appeared that she was going to win a battle(which was rarely) she would teleport herself so that she would be looking down as the rookies were on their knees, their weapons a dozen or so feet from them with Elgar, the Piranhatrons or the monster bearing down on them and ready to finish them off, she would raise her arms above her head, let loose a cackle and shout

"Viva la Diva!" But then the Phantom Ranger would show...uh...make his presence known and save the rookies. A couple of times I would step in and save them, course I never got the chance to tell Divatox (or Diva Nut, as I some times liked to call her) how I felt about her victory yell. One day I got my chance. I was busily fighting beside TJ and firing off rounds of Power Blasts here and there and just enjoying taking part in a clean battle. Elgar was kicking Cassie's and Carlos's butts, not too far away were Justin and the Phantom Ranger(_about time he joined us on the battlefield)_TJ and I were battling Piranhatrons and the Blue Senturion was battling the monster of the day. _Good thing I came along._ I thought as I backslapped, spun in mid air and planted a kick to a Piranhatron that was right behind TJ he turned as the Piranhatron went flying.

"Thanks." He said. I only nodded to him I tried not to talk all that much during battle for fear that they might recognize my voice. I couldn't bring my computer out onto the battle field, I kept thinking that I would lose it, it would get snatched up by Diva Nut or worse Goldar and all of my secrets would be revealed, so I kept it at home. Although a couple of times I'd wish that I could take it with me just so I can shout out my attacks, so most of the time I would end up whispering them. Anyway, I looked up as Divatox appeared swaggering to the edge of the hill(the battle was in the mountains) and looking down at us with a smile, knowing that victory was close. _Huh! As if!_ I saw that she was about to shout out her victory cry, she raised her arms tossed back her head and began to shout.

"Viva la----" Before she could finish however she was kicked aside.

"Put a sock in it!" I shouted as she sprawled to the ground, with a growl she leapt to her feet, at first I thought that she was going to attack me, then it occurred to me that I had never seen Divatox fight, as far as my friends and I were concerned we had never seen her wield any weapon. We all thought as Divatox as one of those villains that did nothing but talk, laugh evilly, shout out commands and be a general headache, like Rita Repulsa. Still I was ready for anything, having learned never to underestimate an enemy, I managed to dodge the eye blasts that she shot out and counter attacked with a blast of my own, she tried to deflect it with her hand but her fingers had gotten singed. Letting out a yelp she cradled her hand. Before I could attack her Elgar had landed in between Divatox and I and began to slash at me with his sword, I went on the defense and began to look for an opening for an attack. I let myself fall onto my back, Elgar raised his sword high ready to strike, he brought it down, and in that spilt second, I had morphed, ducked underneath his sword and materialized with my fist out catching him hard in the stomach. Elgar froze, his sword fell to the ground and he dropped to his knees clutching his stomach.

"How did you do that?" He groaned. I let out a chuckle. _No contest._ I turned when I heard a loud explosion, all of the rookies, the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger were on the ground and seemed to be in pain. I sucked in a breath when I also saw the Piranhatrons and the monster lying on the ground unmoving a few feet away from them. _Oh boy, Goldar's calling card._ I thought to myself as I back handed Elgar, who chose this time to try and sneak up behind me, he fell down. Diva Nut, who had been just standing there throwing a tantrum, screamed.

"Get her you fool while she's distracted!" Elgar staggered to his feet and readied his sword, but the both of them froze when they saw that I was facing them.

"I have no time to play with you guys. Power Blast!" They both screamed as the blast raced toward them, they took off before it even made contact. _Turkeys._ I thought to myself, I froze when I heard Justin give out a high pitched scream.

"No! No! Not again! Ahhhh!" I turned fast and saw that Justin was floating in mid-air, he was writhing in pain as electricity coursed up and down his body. I leapt off the mountain and sped through the air, heading straight toward Justin as the others were watching in horror, they tried to aid him but they were blasted and slammed into the ground writhing also in pain. I reached Justin and floated beside him for a moment wondering what to do. His face was turned toward me, underneath his mask I was sure that his eyes were pleading to me for help.

"Oh god! Oh god! Help him please!" screamed Cassie. I looking about me searching for the source, but there didn't seem to be any, the electricity seemed to be coming from nowhere! I tried to think of what to do._ Where is this coming from?_ Then it hit me. The staff! _Zedd's staff! He must be using it. Only the staff can fire electricity without a beam of origin. I have to break Justin out of this._ The last time I had been hit like this I had screamed and begged to be killed. _This could drive Justin insane._ I thought as a spark of an idea hit me, I pulled out my sword.

"DO SOMETHING DAMN YOU!" screamed TJ. I ignored him as I touched the point of my sword to Justin's helmet, the electricity raced up my sword and touched my fingers, I let out a scream as I felt my fingers burn like they had been dipped in lava. I dropped my sword and the pain stopped, the sword fell away from me, I reached out a hand and stopped it before it could hit the ground. Justin, had fallen limp, but I had managed to catch him in one arm while the other was controlling my sword. Both of us gently touched ground, I put Justin down and I pointed that same hand to TJ and the others, a golden light shot out and covered all of them in its healing glow. Afer the glow had faded, the rookies and Blue Senturion were helping each other up and were gathering around the boy. The Phantom Ranger had gotten up also and was standing a little way off, he was looking at me. I turned my head toward him and gave him a curt nod, he nodded back then vanished. I looked up at my sword, which was still floating in mid air, the electricity had vanished. I frowned. _Strange, why would the attack suddenly stop there? This would be a perfect opportunity to attack us. _I looked around, but I couldn't see a sign of G oldar or the Tengu Warriors. My sword floated down until it was in my hand once again and I placed it back in its sheath. I looked down at Justin, the rookies were calling to him, someone had demorphed him. Cassie looked up at me while Carlos grabbed Justin's shoulders in an effort to wake him up.

"What's happening? Why isn't he waking up?" I shrugged my shoulders. She glared at me then she looked down at Justin.

"Let's return to the Power Chamber, maybe Dimitria and Alpha can wake him up." Said TJ standing up. I breathed a relived sigh. The others stood up also, Cassie and Carlos were supporting Justin whose head was touching his chest. TJ turned toward me.

"Thanks for your help." He said. I only nodded. Then all of them teleported away.

As I was laying on the grass in the park, I thought about all of the recent attacks on Angel Grove and on the rookies. _The attacks have been different now, they come fast and hard and, unless it's my imagination , long. It's almost as if they want to distract all of us so that they can do something, but what?_ I tried to think of what Divatox and Goldar could be planning, but the possibilities were endless. And not just those two either, I had to rush off to Leawood and help Masked Rider battle insectivores, Cyclopter, Gork and Double-Face several times in the past couple of weeks alone. Dex had the same suspicions as I. In fact he began to think that the same thing was happening on Edenio and would contact his grandfather frequently to check and make sure that he and his people were alright. Lexian reassured Dex that nothing out of the ordinary had happened but he promised that he would tell his people to keep a look out for anything suspicious. Dex was frustrated, feeling that something bad was going to happen but he didn't know _when_ it was going to happen.

"I wish I could go to Edenio again, then I could take a look around, see for myself that everything is alright." He said as he paced back and forth in front of Magno, Chopper, and I.

"I know that he's up to something.....something big...I just know it." He muttered.

"Boss, take it easy, if Dregon were planning anything then we'll deal with it when he unleashes it on Leawood." said Chopper. The way that Dex spun and faced Chopper with eyes flashing, I got the feeling that what Chopper had said the wrong thing.

"Leawood? Leawood? Oh we can take care of Leawood just fine Chopper, but what about Edenio huh? What if, whatever that Dregon has planned, he unleashes it on Edenio, on my people or worse on my grandfather? God, if anything happened to him.....And if something did happen on Edenio there would be no way for me to get there fast enough." He struggled to keep his voice steady, although by the look in his eyes, he was visualizing the possibilities of his grandfather being killed or captured and tortured by Dregon. I stood up and hurried over to Dex and grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug, he was thinking the same things that I had thought about my father before he and Tentomon traveled to Edenio to join in the war. I was constantly worried about him and would fight the urge to ask Dex to call his grandfather, every single day.

"Dex, Dex listen to me. You have to listen to me. Your grandfather has an army to protect him, he also has my dad and Tentomon by his side. If anything happens, if Dex, I said _if_..." Dex looked down at me with a wild look in his eyes. "Any one of them will contact and alert you if anything happens to your grandfather. I'll take you to Edenio myself, you know I will, we'll find a way if something happens. I promise you Dex, I'll help you protect your planet, just like you've helped me protect mine." Dex's eyes grew less wild, they were filled with gratitude and love.

"Thank you, Amy." He hugged me tightly.

"Yeah, we'll help too." said Mango, Chopper swivelled his front tire in agreement. Dex looked down into my face, bent down and gave me a long kiss. _Thank you._

In the weeks that followed it soon became apparent, to the people of Angel Grove and the rookies(_I should really stop calling them that_) that Divatox was getting tired of losing. It became known when this new character appeared, several times in battle I heard his name being called out: Havoc. And with him he brought a toy for the rookies to play with: Metallasauras_, _Havoc's very own Zord and his own army of foot soldiers called Chromites. After watching it a couple of times in battle, this Zord kicked the Turbo Mega Zord's butt and then some, not to mention actually grabbing it and _stealing it_! Still when the rookies were down, they were not out(_all in all Tommy and the others would be proud)_ they received new Zords called Rescue Zords. _Hmmm....I had no idea that dad had something like that in the wings. Dude, that man plans for everything._ The Rescue Zords also came with Artillaton, a carrier Zord for the Zords with cannons on either side that would shoot the enemy. _Where does dad get this stuff?_ I had to admit that it was pretty cool driving the Rescue Zord(I wasn't trespassing, theoretically it is _my_ Zord) and handling it was a cinch, it was just like driving my old Turbo Zord.. The problem was that I couldn't fire a Power Blast from the cockpit or any thing, sort of a downer but we still managed to kick butt. Still I wished that it was my friends that I was celebrating with instead of the rookies. However there were a few times when I couldn't join the Zord battles which was mainly due to Goldar and his Tengu appearing and wreaking havoc in public places, mostly the park, the mall, or the bay. I guess I should have been grateful whenever Elgar would appear and start attacking, Elgar would try to take on Goldar(_Just as I thought, Elgar is as loony as Divatox, Blue Elf owes me five bucks)_ and the Piranhatrons would take on the Tengu Warriors. Seeing that two enemies were taking care of each other, that gave me the chance to join the rookies in kicking Havoc's and the monster of the day's butt or in some cases, Dregon's. After battling their Turbo Mega Zord, (which was underneath the control of _General _Havoc), and finally reclaiming it(_seriously, did the Chromites not hear me yelling when I was standing right behind them in the cockpit?)_ And we sent Havoc packing. It wasn't an easy victory, but a hard earned one none the less. I for one was glad to see the dude leave, when he and Goldar met up I was sure that those two were showing off their muscles to each other, what with the way they kept tossing around the rookies and all. The Turbo Zords were in pretty bad shape and were going to take a little time to repair, I offered my services but got a "no thanks, we'll handle this one on our own" from the rookies so I left them at that. The Phantom Ranger also left....or so I've heard. (It turned out to be true, since I didn't see him during any of the battles, and my computer no longer picked up his presence) I was hoping that now with the Phantom Ranger gone, the rookies could focus on the task of find a replacement Yellow Turbo Ranger, and soon. It was hard enough going to the aid of the Masked Rider and stopping Goldar from killing innocent people of Angel Grove and preventing him from driving Justin insane, _and_ keeping an eye on the rookies, and helping them out with Divatox....it was tiring. Even though I wanted to tell the rookies to get a move on, _still....the amount of danger in battle, with Goldar near, the power of his attacks, the Tengu Warriors.....no. It would be a bad idea, to send in a person_, _a new and inexperience ranger into the battle field. She'll be killed. _I put my chin in my hands and stared gloomily at my kitchen wall. _No, I can't do that. I won't put another life in danger just so I can have some of the pressure taken off of me. I'll be their Yellow Turbo Ranger, even if they don't know it. I know that this situation that the rookies are in isn't that much different.....actually it's very different than what happened three years ago(god has it been that long?) Firstly: The danger level is very high. Secondly: There are two wars going on in our small little city. Thirdly: The amount of power that Goldar is unleashing on the people and Rangers of Angel Grove, just happens to be the full amount of what was stolen from me._ I reached the cemetery and entered, stopping in front of my earth parents tombstones I told them all about what was plaguing me.

"I just know that Goldar and Dregon are up to something Mom. But for the life of me I can't figure it out. He couldn't be after my friends, Goldar would have gone after them a long time ago. He's certainly not after my step brothers and sisters because......" I shifted uncomfortably really not wanting to say that I didn't find my brothers and sisters important anymore, I've hardly even thought of them in years.

"Because.....well, he's already split up my family, what more can he do?" I said, even to my own ears that sounded lame, but I didn't want to tell them the truth. I continued.

"I'm also keeping an eye on Dad and Tentomon and have told Lexian to alert me if anything out of the ordinary happens, I'm also keeping an eye on the rookies. Speaking of which....ah...I've already complained about them to you about a dozen times. You're probably tired of my whining and all. So to save you a head ache, I won't say anything about them." I shoved my hands in my pockets.

"Well....to tell the truth, I think that they're trying to prove that they can handle Divatox all on their own. It's happened a few times in battle, they'll be in trouble and I come in and save them and be given no thanks whatsoever. Not that I come to the rescue every single battle. I _know_ that they can handle Divatox on their own...it's just that.......I'm starting to get another one of my bad feelings...." I gave a start when my mini computer beeped. Taking it out of my purse I opened it up, and after pressing a few buttons saw that Goldar had the rookies up in the air and sending energy shocks through their bodies. I closed my computer, put it back into my purse and turned back to the tombstones.

"Sorry mom, I gotta go. And don't worry I'll be careful." I took a quick look around, seeing no one, I morphed into a Ranger, then morphed into a puddle and took off.

Later that week I was very glad that I hadn't pressured the rookies into finding a replacement Yellow Ranger because Divatox had created her own Zord. The Diva Zord. I stared down at the screen on my computer blinking a couple of times, fairly certain that I had read it wrong, or that my eyes were playing tricks on me. But no....that's what the Zord was called. _The Divazord._ I smirked then let out a chuckle. _What kind of a person would name their Zord that?_ That was before I had seen it action, that Zord alone nearly put the rookies out of commission.....it was pretty ugly. For one thing the Zord could fly and it kept shooting energy beams at the Turbo MegaZord that would send it flying. Even though for sure the rookies would turn me away if I offered my services, I hopped into the cockpit along with the others, told TJ to shut it, when he started to protest and told everyone to give it everything they got. Granted giving everything we got nearly depleted the Turbo Mega Zord's power level, but I made up for it by leaping out of the cockpit, pulling out my sword and powering up. I was a little unsure that this would work I'll tell you that, I had never attacked a Zord by myself, and began to hope and pray that my friends were with me, including Aisha. I shouted into my communicator.

"TJ! When I give the word. Have the artillery cannons fire at the Diva Zord." Despite myself I was trying extremely hard not to smile. _Seriously, can she be anymore full of herself?_

"Okay." I heard him say. The Diva Zord came flying towards us, the Turbo Mega Zord had been heavily damaged thanks to this one battle. _If it takes one more hit, Turbo Mega Zord is finished!_ I tighten my hold on my sword and sent more power coursing through it. _Steady._

"Steady." I shouted to the rookies. The Diva Zord was closing in on us, I could practically see Diva Nut's gleeful smile. It was twenty feet from us....now ten....now five....

"Now!" I screamed. I unleashed my sword and sent the power spinning toward the Diva Zord, at the same time I heard several booms coming from the artillery cannons, two fire balls flew over me. The fireballs raced at the same speed as the power from my sword, I brought both of them together, Diva Zord couldn't dodge, it was speeding towards us too fast and couldn't avoid the attack fast enough and the fireball slammed into it. I leaped back into the safety of the Turbo Mega Zord's cockpit and watched as the Diva Zord exploded in mid air. The rookies all clapped and cheered, but I was watching the charred remains that was the Diva Zord. _Is it over? Did she die within the Zord? Or did she escape? _I jumped when Justin said to me.

"Thanks for your help and all...." I turned to him and nodded.

"Glad to be of service." I said as I stood and sheathed my sword. I turned to leave TJ called out to me.

"Hey ya know that we...we could have taken care of this ourselves, there was no need for you to help us." I looked at him for a few minutes.

"I know that you have been trying to prove that you can handle Divatox on your own, and it is indeed true that you have beaten her countless of times without my help." I said sensing that Carlos was going to open his mouth.

"But it never hurts to have someone waiting in the wings and to come to your aid when you need it." _Whether or not you ask for it." _I thought privately as I exited out of the cockpit.

**Sorry this took so long, I've been trying to figure out whether this chapter should lead up to Power Rangers In Space,** **but I figured that it was much too soon. The next chapter or the chapter after that should open up for the next series, and just between you readers, I'm looking forward to it.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

To my dismay, and everybody else's, Divatox had _not_ burned to a crisp in the last fight. I went back to the wreckage and looked around. But I didn't see a body or any charred remains. Pulling out my computer I preformed a scan on the entire area, thinking that she must have been thrown from her seat by the power of the two blasts....but my computer didn't find any trace of her anywhere. At first I thought that maybe her henchmen might have teleported down, searched and found her body and took off to bury her, it was possible. For a few hours everything was quiet. But it didn't last too long. Too bad though it was nice. That was until another Zord appeared out of nowhere and began to smash the buildings and nearly kill the people that were running away from its gigantic feet, at first I thought that Elgar had built this new Zord so that he could unleash his revenge on all of us. Not so. Divatox _was _indeed alive _and_ driving the thing! Another thing that the rookies and I didn't expect was the appearance of another evil Zord! The first Zord that appeared was called, according to my scanner, Cat Zord. The second was called Shark Zord. There was another problem: the two Zords seemed more stronger than the Diva Zord. And if that weren't enough the Turbo Mega Zord and the Rescue Mega Zord hadn't had a lot of time to recover from the Diva Zord. It had been heavily damaged, I was hoping that there would be no retaliation from our enemies, I didn't think both Mega Zords could take another punch. Now while we had been fighting the Diva Zord I happened to notice some very weird energy signatures. After a few moments of trying to find out where these signature came from and why they seemed so familiar, the signature was small, so small that I nearly missed it the first time I scanned the Zord, finally I found out why the signature was so familiar. They were an exact copy of mine! A chill of horror went through me as the realization hit me! _Goldar and Divatox had finally joined forces!_ I stared at the screen for a few minutes stunned. The first question that popped into my head was _How long have they been in alliance?_ The second question was _Why are they in alliance? I had thought for certain that Goldar thought that Divatox and her crew weren't worth even looking at, and whenever they met up it would turn into an all out brawl between the two armies! What changed? _I leapt up and began to pace back and forth in front of the computer. _If their alliance had started earlier in the war, why didn't I sense it? If Goldar had given Divatox and her army more power then why didn't Elgar or the Piranhatrons use it against the rookies? And what about Divatox's monsters-for-hire, most of them have been defeated by the rookies alone, without my help, if Goldar had given them some of his power then why didn't they use it against the rookies? Dimitria would have surely sensed the aura of power surrounding the monsters, the rookies would have voiced their worries at the Youth Center of the monsters....but they didn't! _I thought for a minute remembering the last time there had been an alliance between two of my enemies. Both armies of Count Dregon and Lord Zedd's had attacked Dex and I, and both Cyclopter and Double-Face had helped Goldar and Rito in kidnaping me. From what my friends and Dex had told me Double Face and Cyclopter had both returned to the battle shortly after taking me to Zedd's palace. After they had found out that I had somehow returned from the dead, both Dregon and Zedd had been furious, taking it out on their own men, who in turn took it out on us. But, they did get something as a consolation prize, because Zedd's staff can only hold so much of my power, he gave a bit to his army and also to Count Dregon. _It seems that Goldar is doing the same thing that Zedd had done._ _And this could give us a lot of trouble. I have to get the rookies ready, I just hope that they are up to it._

Fortunately the rookies were definitely up to the upcoming battle, what they weren't up to, was the amount of power that the two evil Zords had. And unfortunately we were not at full strength, the Turbo Mega Zord and the Rescue Mega Zord still needed some time to be fixed. I did my best to help out, with several Power Blasts and sword slashes, but it wasn't enough, at one time I even tried to get into one of the evil Zords and dismantle it from the inside but.....as soon as I had reached one of them, I was suddenly blasted back by a wave of power, energy and electricity. I flew a couple of hundred feet from the Zord and landed flat on my back, winded, my entire body throbbing with pain. My healing powers washed over me thankfully, I staggered to my feet and wasn't at all surprised to see Goldar and a horde of Tengu Warriors standing in front of me_._ What surprised me though was to see Goldar _not_ taking part in the battle of the Zords, I was sure that he could have used Zedd's----_his_ staff to make himself grow into Zord size. But knowing Goldar he would want to get his most hated enemy on the ground, alone, with no back up what so ever, not to mentioned tired and a bit low on power and energy. I had used most of it trying to help the rookies: creating shields, making the blasts that came from the enemy Zords turn back on them, levitating the Mega Zords up and out of the way of an on-coming attack, levitating the evil Zords and making them crash into each other and firing Power Blasts. So yeah I was a bit tired and needed a rest, but I knew that Goldar wasn't going to permit me to catch my breath. I pulled out my sword, ready for battle. My arm was shaking, my sword felt heavy and even though my healing powers had healed my body of pain, still in my mind, my body was screaming in protest as I powered up my sword and raced at Goldar all thought of the rookies and their plight forgotten as I punched, kicked, and slashed at the Tengu. Sending a Tengu flying with an uppercut to the chin, swopping down, grabbing its ankle and flinging it over my back, spinning and stomping hard on its stomach I leapt and spun in the air as several Tengu took flight to met up with me. My fist and leg shot out the last second just as they were about to land on me. Planting a face kick on a Tengu that sent it reeling, I grabbed another by the arm and flung it as hard as I could making it smash beak first into one of it's fellows, I caught another one with a swift and hard back punch followed with a high kick, another I grabbing, pulled back my head and preformed a face smash. The Tengu's beak cracked, it grabbed it and fell to the ground in pain. The other Tengu soon followed. I landed on the ground breathing hard, it was getting to be too much. _I.....need.....to......rest._ My knees shook, I struggled to stay on my feet, forcing myself to be ready for Goldar's attacks. Strangely enough he hadn't joined in the battle but had watched, now he walked toward me with a smirk on his face. I tried to keep my sword pointed at him but it sagged toward the ground. Goldar grinned wider as I had to use both of my hands to lift up the sword that felt like lead in my hands.

"You should really stop trying." he said as I looked into his eyes. I shook my head firmly.

"Never. I won't stop, not now, not ever, not until it's over." He grinned wider and approached me, he lifted up his hand. For a moment I thought that he was going to strike, I tried to summon enough energy to deflect or dodge whatever he was going to throw at me, but instead of striking, he merely placed his hand on the forehead of my helmet and gave a little nudge. I cried out, as I fell backward and landed on my butt on the ground. I looked up at him, my sword had flown from my hand and was laying a few feet away. Even if I could reach it, I didn't have the strength to lift it, much less defend myself from Goldar and his Tengu, who were now staggering to their feet and moving to stand beside Goldar. All of them grinned down at me and began to laugh.

"Stupid little girl." Goldar pointed upward toward the Zord battle. I looked up and felt my mouth drop open in horror. _The rookies! The Mega Zords!_ I struggled to my feet but everything that I had, had been drained from me during the battle.

"It is already over." The Tengu and Goldar began to cackle as the Shark Zord and Cat Zord destroyed the two Mega Zords!

"No!" I shouted as I saw the rookies abandon ship and began to fall to the ground below, I struggled to concentrate, to cushion their fall, but for all the good that it did, it was like I didn't do anything at all. They plummeted to the ground, but thankfully they managed to cushion their fall by rolling. Coming to a stop a hundred yards or so from me, they staggered to their feet and watched in horror as the Mega Zords broke apart and fell. I was aware of two things as I watched the last line of defense for earth fall right before my horror filled eyes: Goldar laughing and everyone's screaming. Including my own.

All of us regrouped in the Power Chamber, the rookies continued to stare straight ahead, still too shocked to realize that A-6 had teleported them. I was still on my knees, disbelief and rage going through me. _The Zords.....were gone._ _When I get my hands on Goldar....I don't care if a thousand Tengu and Divatox's army stand in front of me!_

Dimitria and A-6 were staring at me. I looked up at the rookies. Justin wore a shocked and disbelieving look on his face, it was the same look that he wore when he found out that Tommy and I used to be agents of evil. TJ and the others wore looks of shock, disbelief and horror. I struggled to my feet and limped toward them to try and comfort them, but what could I say? That everything will be alright? Not likely. Not with those two Zords running around with the power that Goldar gave them. _We have to face the facts here. With the Mega Zords we have no line of defense_. I began to wish that my friends still had the power to morph into the Zeo Rangers, then we would call on the Zeo Zords.Despair washed over me, I was wishing for the impossible, my friends could no longer morph into Rangers, even though their successors and the earth needed them now. Anger rose within me. _If I can morph why the hell can't they? Why did, whoever or whatever, gave me the power to morph once again into a Ranger, couldn't have done the same thing for my friends? Why? Is it because of who I am and the power that I have? This power that I've grown to despise but still use to protect and save the people that I love? Or is it because......_

"Yo! Why are you here?" Snapped A-6. The rookies jumped and seemed surprised to see that I was there. I stayed silent, my only response was sheathing my sword, looking up at Dimitria and giving her a deep nod.

"It's okay, Alpha. She's cool. She helped us out a couple of times in battle." Said TJ.

"I know that." Snapped A-6.

"What I meant was what is she _doing_ here?" _I see that he hasn't changed a bit._ I thought drily as looks of confusion passed on the rookies faces as they looked at me.

"Well, she _is_ a Power Ranger, so she must have the same privileges as us." said Cassie. I nodded. For once she was on my side. They all turned to A-6 and asked about the Zords, how badly damaged they were, whether or not they would be up and running, ready for the next attack. They were hoping that the Zords could be salvaged and repaired, but A-6 and I knew better.

"The Zords are destroyed, there is no way to repair them, that alone will take years. What's worse is that thanks to that last battle some of the shields around the Power Chamber are now gone. We had to reroute the Power Chamber's power to the Zords to protect you guys and they overloaded."

"Well, can you bring them back on line?" asked Carlos. A-6 shook his head sadly.

"I can't. It was too much for the computer, all lines are down. I'm not sure if I can get them back online at all. Everything's down, even the teleportation system. It blew right after I used what was left of the reserve power to teleport all of you up here." My heart began to pound with fear. _The Power Chamber is completely defenseless!_ I didn't even have enough strength to defend the Power Chamber and the rookies against both Goldar and Divatox. Just then Justin spoke and we all jumped, having forgotten that he was there.

"So its over? It can't be over, there is no way that it can be over! We're the Power Rangers! We're the good guys! Good guys are supposed to win every battle!" He had a wild look in his eyes. Anger broke out over me, I forgot all about the shock that the Power Chamber was now open to any and all attacks, Justin was acting like that whiny crybaby again! He wanted to think that nothing can hurt you because when you're a super hero, nothing can hurt you, nothing bad can happen to you. You're untouchable, you're invincible. IT WASN'T LIKE THAT AT ALL! I leapt up and grabbed Justin by the shoulders and began to shake him.

"Haven't you freaking learned anything by now? We tend to lose a few battles. A few battles!! But when we lose one battle, you start whining and crying. "We're supposed to be the good guys, nothing happens to the good guys" Here is a wake up call Justin! _Things happen to the good guys!! _We are made to suffer because of what we do! That's what makes us so strong! That makes our enemies fear us so much. It's our strength that makes us so powerful, they make us suffer because they think that they can make into who we once were! Weak little kids who had no freaking idea that what we see right now even existed, but they were wrong, they can never take away our strength because we remember everything that they have done to us and we use our hatred and anger and the pain that they gave us against them. Just like they use our weakness against us! Don't you understand the reason that Goldar chose you to kidnap and torture you? It's because of your weakness and innocence. Goldar stripped that away from you, he knew that you weren't strong enough to handle what he showed you. He knew that you saw the world as black and white, where the good guys always won and never lost, where your loved once aren't targeted for punishments, where the good guys, the heroes that you looked up to and admire can save everyone, but it's all blown away when you find out that your heros are the ones that let your loved ones die! It's all blown away when you find out that your heroes can make mistakes! It's all blown away when you find out that your heros are only freaking human!!!" Not even realizing what I was doing, I had thrown him onto the ground. I was standing over him, my entire body was shaking, everyone was staring at me, but I didn't care. The little punk had to know the truth, he had to grow up and get rid of that stupid fantasy and realize that sometimes everything _wasn't going_ to turn out alright. Justin was staring up at me. No one spoke. Finally Carlos spoke.

"Amy?" _Oops._ I had completely forgotten that I never allowed myself to speak, now I turned back to the rookies, I stared at them for a few moments then I powered down. Shock and surprise were on all of their faces including Dimitria's. Justin had picked himself off the ground and was now standing in front of me.

"All this time? You're the one that would save us? You were the Yellow Zeo Ranger?" I stared down at him and looked around at the others. I stopped myself from laughing. It was hard to believe that they had never even figured it out, I mean didn't they recognize my fighting style, the color of the Power Blasts, my sword, the fact that the Yellow Ranger had a _limp._ _I guess not._ I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm the Yellow Zeo Ranger, listen I'll explain everything later. Te...uh A-6 where's the Blue Senturion? Why wasn't he at the battle helping us out?"

"Before I answer your questions, you answer a few of ours." He snapped. I gave a sigh, the feeling of irritation surfaced within me, I fought it down.

"Later, please A-6. Just answer a few of my questions." he was silent for a minute, TJ and the others were also silent. Apparently finding out that it had been I that saved them time and time again, the traitorous Ranger, the one that used to work for the forces of evil, helped them to win battles against Divatox and General Havoc had left them all speechless and stunned. A-6 turned to the controls and began to pull up the data.

"We sent the Blue Senturion to Edenio, someone had sent a message that they needed more help, we just got a message back of him. Edenio has fallen." I froze. I grabbed A-6 by the shoulders, spun him around and began to scream at him.

"IT'S NOT TRUE! IT'S NOT TRUE! IT CAN'T BE! MY MENTOR AND MY BEST FRIEND ARE UP THERE! HOW COULD IT FALL? HE TOLD ME THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALRIGHT. HE PROMISED ME THAT HE WOULD CALL IF ANYTHING HAPPENED. WHY DIDN'T HE CALL? HE KNEW THAT THE OTHER RANGERS AND I WOULD GO TO HIS AID_." _I released A-6 and sank to my knees, tears were streaming down my eyes.

"He promised that everything would be alright. He promised that....that he.....could hold his own....that he would be safe....he promised..." I shut my eyes, unable to bear the thought, the mere idea, that my mentor, my father....._oh god! My worst fear! Dad was in trouble and I was too far away to help him.....just like mom. _Through the grief that overwhelmed me a thought made itself known in the back of my mind. _I didn't feel Dad die. _I opened my eyes and stared straight ahead not really paying attention as the rookies all gathered around A-6 and began to ask questions. _When mom died I felt it, in my heart.....but.....I didn't feel dad's.....he must still be alive!!! _Relief swept through me.

"Zordon is still alive." I proclaimed as I climbed to my feet and limped over to the others, they turned toward me.

"How do you know?" asked Cassie.

"Because I would have felt it if he died. A-6, is there anything more to the message that the Blue Senturion sent? The whereabouts of the other Alpha unit that was with him? Alpha 5?" I was on pins and needles as A-6 turned back to the controls and looked at the message. Dimitria looked down at me.

"You and Zordon are close." It was a statement. I nodded feeling no surprise that she was able to talk in statements and not questions.

"He's the one that choose me to be the Yellow Ranger." A-6 had just finished telling me that Tentomon was alright, he had been damaged but not too much. Dad had shoved him out of the way of fire. I breathed a sigh of relief, silently thankful that my best friend was alright. But it was short lived when I began to realize that King Lexian and his people were now at the mercy of Count Dregon and his army. _I've got to tell Dex. He'll probably want to travel to Edenio as fast as possible. _Before I could make a move however, Dimitria said something. I looked up at her, surprised. _She was leaving earth to go and aid everyone on Edenio._ Instantly I asked if I could go with her.

"Please Dimitria, I want to help the people of Edenio. Some of them I know, they are the allies of the Power Rangers. Please allow me to come with you. Please?" She looked down at me for a moment. Before she could say anything however Justin spoke up.

"We need your help here! What about Divatox and Goldar? You can just leave us!" I turned and stared at him, anger flowed through me.I was about to yell at him, when I remembered my promise to Tommy and the others that I would protect the rookies from Goldar. I stopped, struggling on what to do. If I left I could see for myself that dad and Tentomon were alright and that the Edenites were all safe, I would be able to, for the first time, fight side by side with my father, against Dregon's army. I would also make sure that Dex's people were all safe.....but if I left....the rookies would be at the mercy of both Divatox and Goldar, I glanced at Justin. He was still terrified of the Tengu Warriors and more so of Goldar. In the state that all of them were in, they could easily be beaten then who would protect the Earth and Angel Grove? My friends? _The two things that I love the most and I have to make a decision between them? Was this how dad felt when he had to choose between the desire to locating me and mom to staying on Eltar and helping to rebuild everything?_ I was still hesitating.

"Any day now!" snapped A-6. Ignoring him I turned to face Dimitria.

"I'll stay." Even though I said it matter of factly I was miserable, more than anything I wanted to see my dad and my best friend....but I made a promise and _Amy Karmer always keeps her promises_. We wished her luck and a safe journey, I wanted to scream out: _Take me with you._ But I stayed silent.

No sooner had she vanished from the tube, the alarm rang. We looked at it, then we all turned as we all heard a great thumping noise coming from the doors that led into the Power Chamber. It became louder and louder and more harder, it sounded like whatever it was....it was many and it was trying to get in. I stepped forward and pulled my sword from it's sheath, ready to do battle with what I thought that was trying to break down the Power Chamber door. _If I die in here, I promise that I'll take a few Tengu Warriors with me and maybe even Goldar. _Justin sidled more closer to TJ and the others as they continued to stare at the door as it finally gave away, and Piranhatrons streamed in. My eyes widen in surprise as my body instinctively crouched and sprang, going on the attack. _Piranhatrons? What the hell? What are they doing here? How did they—? _A picture suddenly popped into my mind of Goldar and Rito appearing in the Command Center and stealing the Zeo Crystal. _Oh no! He must have told Divatox the location of the Power Chamber since it's in the exact location of the Command Center. That's why he gave her some of his power. He knew that all three Zord attacks would weaken the rookies big time, so that they would have to revert to use the energy of the Power Chamber for the Zords, and since the three Zords were extra powerful that caused the Power Chamber to drain all of its own power. Which made the rookies.....sitting ducks._ _Gotta protect them_. I thought as I slashed at and every Piranhatron that was within reach of my sword, two of them grabbed my arms. Twisting my wrist around I stabbed the one on my right, it keeled over, twirling my sword I sliced the chest of the other one, it fell at my feet. I leaped over it and ran to go help TJ and the others, who had all morphed and were all fighting for their lives


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The battle was fierce. Piranhatrons were everywhere and when they weren't battling the rookies and myself they were tearing up the Power Chamber! I shouted to A-6 to find a hiding place as I morphed into a puddle, zoomed around, absorbing Piranhatrons left and right and hurtling them at the walls or out the Power Chamber's doors, the exhaustion that I was feeling vanished as I faced the army of Piranhatrons that were streaming into the Power Chamber. I sent wave after wave of Power Blasts, levitated Piranhatrons, created shields, used parts of the Power Chamber that they had torn down, and sent them flying toward the Piranhatrons and Elgar. I kept expecting to see Goldar and Rito Revolto swagger through the doors cackling and help in finishing us all off. No matter how many Piranhatrons we knocked down, more sprang up, and would pick up where their fallen had left off. I sprang forward again and again fighting off Piranhatrons, pulling them off the rookies ignoring their shouts of "I don't need your help". I saw that Justin was losing to Piranhatrons that had him surrounded, he was being held by the arms while two of them were using him as a punching bag. I quickly whipped up a Power Blast and sent it flying, the Piranhatrons turned and leapt back, releasing Justin. He shot forward, I shot forward as well and leapt.

"Ranger Kick!" I shouted and at the same time caught my Power Blast that missed the Piranhatrons and hurled it at them. They were burnt to a crisp. As I landed I turned to Justin, the boy was breathing fast and hard, but it was more out of fear and bewilderment, than excitement. I knew what he was thinking. _How? How could they, Divatox and her army break into the Power Chamber? How? Only a Ranger can enter here. The Power Chamber is one of the most safest places there is_. _The Power Chamber is one of those places were nothing can hurt you. NOTHING! It's the one place where your enemies can't hurt you, can never get to you. _But now look, they knew that by teaming up with an old enemy they would be able to break through our defenses, weaken us and take us down. I had always figured that it would be Goldar or Lord Zedd or even Count Dregon that would be the one to take down the Rangers.....but _Divatox? _To the rookies it appeared that Divatox had finally succeeded in taking down the Rangers but in reality this was all Goldar's doing. Only Goldar would have the power and the vindictiveness to turn the Rangers against one of their own, the first step was to kidnap Justin and show him that I had worked for the forces of evil....and what I gone through. But instead of sympathizing with me at the hell that I had suffered while under the thumb of my former masters, they turned all of their anger, that one of their own was captured and tortured and were too late to save him, onto me. Instead of seeing all the good that I have done over the years, they focus on what I have done when I was underneath the spell that Zedd placed on me all those years ago. Using their anger that they were given no warning whatsoever on the day of Justin's kidnap, and fear that, since all along they have been fighting beside "a spy" I would spill all of the Rangers secrets to Goldar or Divatox. Despair began to wash over me. I thought for sure that no one would find out, I've kept it a secret all these years, debating whether or not, when all of this was over, should I tell my friends that I was the monster that killed their friend that night? More than anything I was afraid what their reactions would be, I was certain that _if_ I ever told them, they would end the friendship that has helped me survive through the years of guilt and torture and if that happened......._God! I thought I could escape from it! I thought that it would never resurface. I prayed that he would never come back, prayed and begged because I knew that if he_ _came back and saw that the new team of Rangers were rookies, who had no idea who I used to be, he would tell....he would tell. _Realization slammed into me like a cold wave _Goldar planned this all along! He wanted the rookies to turn against me, and the only way to do that was to tell them about who I used to be and what I was forced to do. Even though he didn't tell TJ and the others about Aisha, he showed them enough to make them think that I was an enemy. To them the sins that I have committed cannot be forgiven, can never be forgiven. No matter what I do, or how many people or planets, or cities I protect and save. I WILL NEVER BE FORGIVEN. _Rage filled me. I began to charge and use my powers to their fullest. _He knew that to really weaken the Ranger Team, especially a team full of rookies, was to turn them against one of their one, kick that Ranger off the team. But there was a flaw, the day when I regained my morphing powers and made that promise to Kat to watch over the rookies and protect them. _I fired at a Piranhatron off of Cassie and limped over to her to see if she was okay. I saw her get up and fling herself back into the throng of Piranhatrons.

"Drive them out!" I shouted, half expected to hear A-6 shouting at me not to give out orders. I lifted up both arms and pointed them straight into the air, the heels of my hands were touching.

"POWER BLAST ENCIRCLE!" I screamed before Piranhatrons knocked me to the ground and began to beat me, the wave of power began to circle the length of the room faster and faster, knocking or destroying Piranhatrons left and right, Elgar let out a scream as he was lifted off his feet. I turning and twisting on the ground, fists punching, legs kicking trying to get the Piranhatrons off of me. I heard Justin's scream, I twisted my head as best as I could and saw that TJ and the others had vanished under the Piranhatrons, their numbers had finally overwhelmed us!

"RANGERS RETREAT!" I screamed at the top of my voice.

"EVERYONE RETREAT! GET OUT OF THE POWER CHAMBER NOW!" I finally managed to get to my feet and was struggling to get to the others, we had to get out! I managed to reach one of the rookies and haul off several Piranhatrons when everything began to tremble as if an earthquake were happening right here in the Power Chamber. There was a fantastic _BOOM! I heard voices raised in screams, then everything went dark._

When I came to, the first thing that I felt was a heavy pressure on my back. After a few moments of struggling, I finally managed to lift the pressure off of me. I blinked in the harsh sunlight, my eyes adjusted after a bit, I looked around in horror. The Power Chamber! It....it had been completely destroyed. Everywhere I looked bits and pieces of the Power Chamber lay on the ground, I was suddenly reminded of the Command Center. Dad had explained that Goldar and Rito had managed to plant another bomb outside of the Command Center and that's how it had been destroyed. Luckily dad had a Plan B, and that was the Power Chamber. _But now...._ The rookies had also crawled out from underneath the debris and were also staring around in horror. Justin was looking around disbelief on his face. I stepped over a large chunk of what I guessed what had been the wall, my knees felt weak_ The Power Chamber....No! It can't be! This can't be the end! It can't! IT JUST CAN'T. Not after everything that we have suffered, all the battles that we've won, the enemies that we've beaten....._but.....my eyes told me different as I looked at the devastation around me. I stared at the rookies and saw that they were no longer Rangers, I sucked in a breath. Cassie was the first to speak.

"Our powers....their gone." They all looked at each other. Justin was silent, he was still staring, a look of terror on his face. It was more than just the morphing powers that were gone, everything was gone, the swords, the weapons....the feeling of safety and security that the Power Chamber had given us, all of us.... it was all gone. I bowed my head and shook it from side to side, panic rose within me as I stared down at my hands, my suit had vanished as well. _Does this mean...?_ Suddenly I was knocked to the ground, I looked up in surprise. Cassie stood over me, her face was wild with rage.

"You!" She screamed, diving to attack me. I rolled out of the way and leapt to me feet and began to block Cassie's blows.

"I knew it! I knew that you would betray us!"

"Cassie!" I shouted as I danced and ducked out of her reach. TJ and Carlos were just standing there, apparently too shocked and stunned by what had happened to do much.

"You did this! You led them here! It's your fault!" Rage filled me at these words, I ducked low, shot forward and kneed Cassie in the gut. She let out a surprised squeak as the air was knocked out of her, I took a step back as she fell to the ground clutching her stomach.

"Now you listen to me and you listen good!" I snarled standing over her.

"I did not tell Divatox the location of the Power Chamber! Nor did I let them in! In fact, if you really want to know who was behind all of this, it was Goldar!" They all froze and stared at me, even Justin seem to snapped out of his terror filled state, he walked over to us and stood beside Cassie, who had picked herself up.

"G–Goldar? He was the one—? But we didn't see him—" started Carlos.

"Of course you didn't see him, he wanted all of you to think that it was Divatox that found the Power Chamber, it was Divatox that found a way to break through the defenses and it was Divatox that destroyed the Power Chamber."

"But she did—" Began TJ. Fury rose in me.

"DON'T YOU GET IT? It was all Goldar, right from the beginning. He knew the only way to weaken the Ranger Team was to get rid of it's most strongest Ranger. And the only way to do that was to turn you guys against me. He thought that if I left the team, you guys would be weaken greatly and could easily be beaten and killed by Divatox's forces, while Goldar sat back and watched, then he would turn on Divatox and kill her. Take over or destroy Angel Grove and then come after me since I no longer had the power to morph. But what he didn't anticipate was the fact that the Phantom Ranger coming along or me regaining the power to morph and helping out you guys whenever you needed it. When he saw that I was helping you, he decided to turn the tables, by helping Divatox create those three Zords of hers and lend some of his power. He knew that the Mega Zords wouldn't be able to handle the beatings since they were being piloted by a team of rookies. When he saw that the Mega Zords were destroyed he made his final move by telling Divatox the location of the Power Chamber." Everyone was staring at me shock on their faces.

"H–he planned—it all from the very beginning? Justin's kidnap? Everything?" croaked Carlos. I nodded.

"Yeah he did." I looked around half expecting to see Goldar and an army of Tengu charging at us.

"How do you----?" stammered TJ. I smiled bitterly.

"I used to be one of them remember? I know how my enemies think.." I gave a shrug of my shoulders. I was still looking around. _We're all alone here. I thought for sure that with the Rangers beaten, Divatox and Elgar would show up and finish us off, but I don't see a sign of them. Not even of Goldar or a Tengu Warrior._ I dug in my back pocket but my computer wasn't there! I turned back to the debris that had been the Power Chamber and began to dug around, lifting up what used to be the walls or pieces of the floor.

"What are you looking for?" asked Justin breaking his silence at last. I glanced at him.

"My miniature computer, I must have dropped it during the battle." The others looked at each other.

"Alpha!" They all shouted. _Huh, I almost forgot about him._ I thought as they others began to rush around, pulling up sections of the walls or pushing aside debris in search of the robot. I came across a pile of rubble that looked as if it had been one of the main computers, pulling and pushing aside the wires and parts, I saw my mini computer underneath it all. Amazingly it didn't appear to have any dents nor did it appear to have any damage what so ever. Picking it up, I inspected it closely, I opened it and began to type and ran a diagnostics check. All systems were on line.

"We found Alpha." said Justin, I glanced at them. Sure enough they were supporting A-6 as he staggered over the debris. I looked at him up and down, I nodded toward him without saying much and turned back to my computer. I began to type, trying to find out where Goldar was.

"What are you doing?" asked Carlos, coming to stand beside me.

"I'm trying to find out where Goldar is, I think that it's a little strange that Divatox nor Goldar aren't here to finish us off when we're down on our knees." I paused while the rookies all began to look around warily. Finally my computer beeped. My body became rigid with surprise.

"What is it?" asked TJ, he had walked over and was standing behind me..

"Goldar and Divatox have left earth." I said, I lifted up my head and looked at them, surprise and worry evident on my face.

"What!" They all exclaimed.

"Why?"

"I'm not sure." I lowered the computer for a moment and thought hard. _Why did they leave earth? The Power Rangers are defenseless and powerless, surely this is the perfect opportunity to finish us off. And yet.....they didn't take it.....why?_ No answer came to mind, I glanced at my computer and saw that they've gone off my scanner. I frowned. _Space is more vast than I thought. _I immediately thought of my dad and best friend. While I was trying to contact Tentomon or one of the Edenities, TJ spoke up.

"Well, wherever they are, we have to go after them." The others stared at him blankly. He took a deep breath.

"It's better to face them sooner than later, we can't defend Angel Grove without our powers. And if Divatox returns....." He let his voice trail off.

"I agree with you TJ." I said, they all turned toward me. I hadn't looked up from my typing.

"We have to track down Divatox and Goldar and end this before they return to earth, and this computer will help us out."

"Okay. Well until you find out where Divatox is, we follow her into space." TJ said. I let out a small grunt. _About freaking time they asked for my help._ I pressed a few more buttons on my computer and closed it.

"It'll alert us if we are near Divatox's or Goldar's location, right now we have to find a way to get into space." We all began to think.

"Well, we need a ship of some sort to travel into space." said Cassie. I looked at her and nodded. Justin immediately thought of NASADA. They had plenty of shuttles that would take us into space.

"Great, let's get going then." I said. _NASADA huh? Well, a lot more better than my plan to contact Billy and have him send a ship to take us. _I began to limp after the rookies. Even though a part of me wanted to race as fast as I could and alert Tommy of what happened....I couldn't do that. It would have to be me and the rookies to finish off Divatox and Goldar. The others were ahead of me, Justin kept glancing back at me while I struggled to keep up.

"Yo! Ranger with a limp here? Slow down!" Justin slowed down so that we were side by side, the others slowed down as well, but I could see the looks of frustration on their faces. _I have a more faster way to get to NASADA_. I thought as I began to concentrate and turned into a silver puddle. The others were still running but now they were all staring at me with their mouths hanging open. They cried out or yelped as I absorbed them and we zoomed off.

I had a little trouble keeping my morphed state, since I was exhausted but luckily I was able to hold it for a while longer while we materialized outside the gate. As soon as they had materialized into their human forms, the rookies collapsed on the ground. Once again they were speechless, but now was not the time for asking questions. I struggled to my feet and turned to them.

"Okay, are we all set?" Carlos, Cassie, TJ and A-6 all nodded but Justin didn't say anything.

"Justin?" I said softly to him placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, hesitated then said.

"I'm not going with you guys." He looked down at the ground ashamed. The others began to ask questions, but I already knew the reason.

"It's Goldar and those Tengu Warriors isn't it?" I murmured. Justin glanced up at me and nodded. He hesitated again then took a deep breath and said.

"It's just that......he has all that power and.....we....don't....I'm scared that...." He looked away. I gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"I understand Justin. You stay here in Angel Grove and just keep an eye on your dad and on Tommy and the others, and if they ask, tell them what happened." He looked up at me gratitude on his face.

"Thanks Amy.....I'm sorry that..." But I interrupted him.

"Forget it. Just take care of yourself." I got down on one knee and hugged him. Before we morphed again to get past the gate, I gave him a wave good bye. Then once again I morphed my teammates and away we went. Past the guard, who was asleep, and down a walkway.

"Do you have any idea where you're going?" asked Cassie.

"No, I'm actually winging it." I said simply as we dodged and slithered past and underneath people's feet and legs. Finally we came to the hanger area, sliding underneath the door, we all morphed back into our human form and looked around at the space shuttles. After choosing one, TJ pointed out that we should confront whoever is in charge and get permission to use the shuttle. I shook my head as I managed to get the door to the shuttle open.

"That'll take too long, beside we have no idea if they'll really allow us. If we go up to them and tell them that we are the Power Rangers now powerless, they'll think that we're nut jobs and throw us in the nut house or something." I said as I began to concentrate and open up the skyline.

"What are you doing?" asked Cassie as she watched me type into my computer.

"I'm sending a message to whoever's in charge of this place and letting them know that the Power Rangers are going to be.....uh....borrowing the shuttle for an important mission." Carlos blinked while TJ frowned.

"Borrowing? Don't you mean stealing?" I looked up and grinned at him.

"Stealing is such a harsh word....I prefer to call it borrowing without asking permission." I turned back to my computer and finished typing in the message and sent it.

"There we go, now all I have to do now is hack into this thing's computer and set a direct course for space." I began to climb into the shuttle but TJ grabbed my arm, I turned toward him, his eyes were narrowed as he looked at me.

"You seem to be pretty okay with stealing." I gave a shrug of my shoulders.

"I used to always steal some of my sister's clothing, this is no different. Now don't worry TJ, I'll return the ship as soon as we find another mode of transportation." I tugged my arm out of his grasp and scrambled into the shuttle and settled myself into the cockpit, near the controls. Turning my computer around, I opened up a small compartment which had an extension. Pulling it out I plugged in one end to my computer and the other, after a bit of searching, I found an outlet for the other end. Plugging it in after a few minutes of typing I found the schematics of the ship. I looked back at the rookies, they were just standing outside of the doorway. I shrugged my shoulders again.

"Okay, fine. You can look go look for the head of this building, ask permission to borrow one of their shuttles and get thrown into the loony bin for "claiming" to be the Power Rangers." Carlos glared at me, then with a glance at TJ and Cassie, he stepped into the ship and made his way to the cockpit. Soon the others followed, and had settles themselves into their seats. I glanced at A-6 as he strapped himself in. He had been damaged during the battle, was now talking gibberish. I guess he must have been knocked around by the Piranhatrons or Elgar and messed up his speech circuit board. We would have to find a way to repair it. I looked at the rookies in turn.

"Ready?" They all nodded. Pressing a few more buttons, the shuttle roared to life, it shook and trembled, then it slowly rose into the air, through the sky light and into the atmosphere.

**Coming up: Power Rangers In Space**


End file.
